In a Cottage in Fife (Comical Folk) Lyrics
A man and his wife in Scotland are said to be very strange people. Then the rhyme lists their oddities: they see with their eyes, walk on their feet and eat to stay alive.
In a Cottage in Fife (Comical Folk)
In a cottage in Fife
Lived a man and his wife
Who, believe me, were comical folk;
For, to people's surprise,
They both saw with their eyes,
And their tongues moved whenever they spoke!
When they were asleep,
I'm told, that to keep
Their eyes open they could not contrive;
They both walked on their feet,
And 'twas thought what they eat
Helped, with drinking, to keep them alive!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/comical-folk/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 5 to 10 years
What Does In a Cottage in Fife (Comical Folk) Mean?
The rhyme promises a funny, unusual couple and then describes the most ordinary things anyone does: seeing with their eyes, talking with their tongues, closing their eyes when asleep, walking on their feet and eating and drinking to stay alive. Fife is a county on the east coast of Scotland, and contrive means manage.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Real Mother Goose (1916). It belongs to a family of joke rhymes that build up a big surprise and then deliver something completely obvious, like There Was a Monkey Climbed Up a Tree.
Learning Activities
- Spot the joke: ask your child what is actually comical about the couple.
- Ordinary facts: make up your own "amazing" facts about the family: "Dad eats with his mouth!"
- Find Fife: look for Fife on a map of Scotland.