Baby Cry, Oh Fie Lyrics
A baby is crying at the physic in the cup. The rhyme coaxes with a counting trick: gulp it twice, gulp it thrice, and then the baby has gulped it all up.
Baby Cry, Oh Fie
Baby cry -
Oh fie! -
At the physic in the cup:
Gulp it twice
And gulp it thrice,
Baby gulp it up.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/baby-cry-oh-fie/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Rhymes for Babies
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Light and sing-song, with a brisk beat on the gulps
- Best for ages
- 1 to 4 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Gulp it twice And gulp it thrice | Hold up two fingers, then three fingers, as you say the words. |
What Does Baby Cry, Oh Fie Mean?
Physic is an old word for medicine. The poem is a rhyme for a baby who cries at having to take it, and it works like a little game: the cup is no longer one big thing to swallow, but two gulps, then three gulps, and then it is done. Oh fie! is an old, mild exclamation, a bit like "oh dear!" or "for shame", said here in a teasing way. Twice means two times and thrice means three times.
The rhyme can be a useful distraction, but a rhyme is not a rule: give medicine only as the label or a doctor says, and never hurry a child who is very upset. The ends of lines to listen for are cup and up, and twice and thrice.
History and Origin
This is one of the short poems in Rossetti's 1872 Sing-Song. Many of its verses are about small, ordinary moments in a nursery, such as getting dressed, being fed or being put to bed, and this one is about medicine time.
Learning Activities
- Count the sips: if your child is taking medicine, count the steps in the rhyme as a calm routine before you start.
- Doll's medicine: let the child give a doll or toy a pretend dose from a toy cup while you say it.
- Twice and thrice: clap twice, then three times, and ask which word means two and which means three.
- Calm first: take a breath together and say the rhyme quietly before any task that is hard to start.