Come, Let's to Bed Lyrics
Every family has a Sleepy-head, a Slow and a Greedy Nan at bedtime. This six-line rhyme gives each of them one line, and most parents will recognize all three.
Come, Let's to Bed
"To bed! To bed!"
Says Sleepy-head;
"Tarry awhile," says Slow;
"Put on the pan,"
Says Greedy Nan;
"We'll sup before we go."
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/come-lets-to-bed/
- Type
- Lullabies
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
What Does Come, Let's to Bed Mean?
Three characters argue about bedtime. Sleepy-head is ready to go to bed right now. Slow says "tarry awhile", which means wait a bit longer. Greedy Nan wants to "put on the pan" and have supper first, because "we'll sup before we go": we will eat before we go to bed.
History and Origin
The rhyme appears in The Real Mother Goose (1916), and in older English collections before it. Giving each character a name that describes them was a common trick in old rhymes. It makes the lines easy to remember and easy to act out.
Learning Activities
- Three voices: say Sleepy-head's line in a yawn, Slow's line very slowly and Greedy Nan's line hungrily.
- Which one are you? ask your child whether they are a Sleepy-head, a Slow or a Greedy Nan tonight.
- Bedtime signal: use the first line as a gentle cue that it is time to start getting ready for bed.