Cushy Cow Bonny Lyrics
A milkmaid sits beside her cow and softly promises her a silk gown if she will just let the milk come. This is a real working rhyme, once sung in cowsheds all over Britain.
Cushy Cow Bonny
Cushy cow, bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and a silver tee,
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/cushy-cow-bonny/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 1 to 6 years
What Does Cushy Cow Bonny Mean?
Cushy or cushie was a pet name for a cow, and bonny means pretty. To let down milk is exactly what a cow does when she relaxes during milking. Farmers knew a calm cow gives milk more easily, so the rhyme is a gentle bribe: a silk gown and a silver trinket if she will just relax and let it flow.
History and Origin
When James Orchard Halliwell collected it in the 1840s, he put it among his "charms", the rhymes people said to make something happen. Milking songs like this were common in Scotland and the north of England, sung softly in a steady rhythm while milking by hand.
Learning Activities
- Milking rhythm: squeeze your hands in time with the words, the way milking by hand works.
- Where milk comes from: look at pictures of a cow, a milking shed and a milk bottle, and put them in order.
- Calm voices: practice saying the rhyme very softly, the way you would to a nervous animal.