Cock Robin's Courting Lyrics
Cock Robin wakes at dawn and flies to Jenny Wren's window to sing her his song, and when he reaches the end, he starts all over again.
Cock Robin's Courting
Cock Robin got up early,
At the break of day,
And went to Jenny's window
To sing a roundelay.
He sang Cock Robin's love
To the little Jenny Wren,
And when he got unto the end,
Then he began again.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/cock-robins-courting/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken or sung
- Best for ages
- 2 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| At the break of day | Stretch your arms up like the sun rising. |
| And went to Jenny's window | Make a window shape with your fingers. |
| Then he began again | Roll your hands round and round. |
What Does Cock Robin's Courting Mean?
A roundelay is a short song with a part that keeps coming back. That fits real robins, which often sing early in the morning, and this robin is so keen that he sings his song to Jenny Wren and then begins it once more. Old rhymes often pair Cock Robin with Jenny Wren as sweethearts.
History and Origin
This version is printed as "Cock Robin's Courting" in Walter Jerrold's The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (1903). Andrew Lang's The Nursery Rhyme Book (1897) has it too, with "pretty Jenny Wren" in place of "little".
Learning Activities
- Dawn chorus: listen early in the morning for birds singing.
- Song circle: sing a short song and start again from the beginning, just like Robin.
- Bird pair: draw a robin with a red breast and a tiny brown wren.