Cut Up a Caper Lyrics
Six lines of pretend. One child has a paper, the speaker has a widget of string, and the other is told to be the army while the speaker is captain and king. A rhyme to start a parade.
Cut Up a Caper
Cut up a caper,
You've got a paper
And I've got a widget of string.
You be the army
And let nothing harm me
For I am the captain and king.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/cut-up-a-caper/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Quick and bossy in a cheerful way, like giving orders in a game
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Cut up a caper | Take a big skip or jump forward. |
| You be the army | March in place with your arms swinging. |
| For I am the captain and king | Stand tall and place a pretend crown on your head. |
What Does Cut Up a Caper Mean?
To cut a caper means to leap or skip about playfully, so the opening line is an invitation to dance around. A widget is a small gadget whose name is not important, and here it is a length of string. The speaker has the string, a friend has a paper, and neither is anything grand.
The game is make-believe. The speaker gives the friend the part of an army and takes the part of the captain and king, and asks the army to keep the captain safe from harm. Because it is only pretend, there are no enemies: the whole game is a parade or a procession with a bossy but friendly leader.
Three pairs of lines rhyme: caper with paper, army with harm me, and string with king.
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson wrote this verse in 1918. It is written as orders from one speaker to another, which makes it easy to turn into a parade game.
The poem uses widget for a bit of string. The word is usually used for a small device whose name you do not know or have forgotten.
Learning Activities
- Parade: march round the room with a paper flag and a length of string while one child is the captain.
- Paper crown: fold a paper hat or crown for the captain and king.
- String ideas: ask each child what they would make from a widget of string, such as a lead for a toy dog or a bracelet.
- Change roles: let everyone take a turn as captain and as the army.