Cantaloupes! Cantaloupes! Lyrics
A market seller's cry in two lines: cantaloupes for sale, eight for a dollar, and every one of them nice.
Cantaloupes! Cantaloupes!
Cantaloupes! Cantaloupes! What is the price?
Eight for a dollar, and all very nice.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/cantaloupes-cantaloupes/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken street cry
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Cantaloupes! Cantaloupes! | Cup your hands round your mouth and call out. |
| Eight for a dollar | Hold up eight fingers. |
What Does Cantaloupes! Cantaloupes! Mean?
A cantaloupe is a round melon with a rough, netted skin and sweet orange flesh. The rhyme copies the way market sellers used to shout their prices to passers-by. Eight melons for a dollar was a bargain even long ago, which is part of the joke.
History and Origin
The cry is printed in The Little Mother Goose (1912). It belongs with other selling rhymes such as Hot Cross Buns and The Muffin Man, and the name cantaloupe is usually traced to Cantalupo, a village in Italy.
Learning Activities
- Market stall: set up a pretend fruit stall and call out your prices.
- Count to eight: line up eight toy fruits and count them.
- Taste test: try cantaloupe and compare it with watermelon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cantaloupe?
A melon with a netted skin and sweet orange flesh.
How much do the cantaloupes cost?
Eight for a dollar.