Black We Are, but Much Admired Lyrics
Something black that everyone wants, that tires horses but comforts people. Can you guess it? This is a riddle from the days when every home was heated by an open fire.
Black We Are, but Much Admired
Black we are, but much admired;
Men seek for us till they are tired.
We tire the horse, but comfort man
Tell me this riddle if you can.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/black-we-are-but-much-admired/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken riddle
- Best for ages
- 5 to 10 years
What Does Black We Are, but Much Admired Mean?
The answer is coal. Coal is black but was much admired because it kept homes warm. Miners dug for it until they were tired, horses pulled the heavy coal carts ("we tire the horse"), and the fire it made gave comfort to everyone at home ("but comfort man").
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the riddle in The Nursery Rhymes of England in the 1840s. At that time coal was burned in almost every British home, so children would have guessed the answer far faster than they do today.
Learning Activities
- Guess it: read the riddle without the answer and give clues until someone guesses.
- Then and now: talk about how homes were heated with coal fires and how they are heated today.
- Make a riddle: write a riddle about something in your home, like the fridge or the kettle.