Charley Wag Lyrics
Two lines about a boy who ate the whole pudding and left nothing behind but the empty bag.
Charley Wag
Charley Wag,
Ate the pudding and left the bag.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/charley-wag/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Charley Wag | Wag a finger as if telling Charley off. |
| Ate the pudding | Pretend to gobble from a big spoon. |
| And left the bag | Hold up an empty pretend bag and shrug. |
What Does Charley Wag Mean?
In the past, many puddings were boiled in a cloth bag. The cook tied the mixture into the cloth and dropped it into a pot of boiling water. So when Charley ate the pudding and left the bag, he scoffed the lot and left only the empty cloth for everyone else.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (1833). Pudding bags turn up in other rhymes too: in Sing, Sing, What Shall I Sing? the cat runs off with the pudding-bag string.
Learning Activities
- Fair shares: cut a pretend pudding so everyone gets a piece.
- Act it out: one child is Charley, the others call out the rhyme.
- Old kitchens: look at pictures of old cooking pots and pudding cloths.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the pudding bag?
The cloth bag puddings were once boiled in.
What did Charley Wag do?
He ate the whole pudding and left only the empty bag.