Comb Music Lyrics
Two children sit in the twilight and press a comb to their lips. They play a tune in a comical way, and the buzzing, wheezing sound that comes out is sweet to their own ears.
Comb Music
Two children once sat in the twilight gray
Playing a tune in a comical way;
They both pressed a comb to their rosy red lips,
And little they cared for tickles and slips,
For wheezings, and paper that always would fall,
For oh! such loud music, or no note at all.
'Twas sweet to their ears, as fondly they heard
This musical strain coming forth, word for word:
"W-h-h-wome, w-h-h-wome, szzzeeet, zhhweet zome,
Bheet wev zo hhumble, therzzz nho blazzze liew zhhome!"
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/comb-music/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Mary Mapes Dodge
- Tune
- Start in a dreamy voice, then buzz the last two lines through your teeth
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| They both pressed a comb to their rosy red lips | Hold a pretend comb against your lips and hum. |
What Does Comb Music Mean?
A comb makes a simple instrument. Lay a thin sheet of paper over the teeth, press it to your lips and hum, and the paper buzzes. This is what the children do in the poem, and the verse lists what goes with it: tickles on the lips, slips when the paper slides, wheezings of breath, and paper that keeps falling off.
The odd spelling in the last two lines is the sound of the buzz. Read it slowly and it comes out as Home, home, sweet, sweet home, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home, the line of the old song Home, Sweet Home. The poem shows the children humming that tune through the comb, so the buzzing letters are the tune itself. Only the first verse is on this page; the poem goes on for two more.
History and Origin
Mary Mapes Dodge, an American writer for children, collected this poem into her 1874 book Rhymes and Jingles. Playing a tune through a comb and paper was a homemade way to make music, and the poem treats it with a straight face.
Learning Activities
- Try it yourself: use a clean comb and a piece of thin tissue or greaseproof paper, press it to your lips and hum. Wipe the comb afterwards and do not share it.
- Decode the buzz: read the two odd lines aloud together until the child can hear the words inside.
- Buzz a favourite: hum a short tune through the paper and let the child guess it.
- Homemade band: add a shaker made from a box of rice and a wooden spoon on a pot.