Dance, Thumbkin, Dance Lyrics
Each finger gets its own turn to dance: Thumbkin, Foreman, Longman, Ringman and Littleman. And there's a surprise in the fourth verse, because Ringman can't do it alone.
Dance, Thumbkin, Dance
Dance, Thumbkin, dance;
Dance, ye merrymen, everyone.
For Thumbkin, he can dance alone,
Thumbkin, he can dance alone.
Dance, Foreman, dance,
Dance, ye merrymen, everyone.
But Foreman, he can dance alone,
Foreman, he can dance alone.
Dance, Longman, dance,
Dance, ye merrymen, everyone.
For Longman, he can dance alone,
Longman, he can dance alone.
Dance, Ringman, dance,
Dance, ye merrymen, dance.
But Ringman cannot dance alone,
Ringman, he cannot dance alone.
Dance, Littleman, dance,
Dance, ye merrymen, dance.
But Littleman, he can dance alone,
Littleman, he can dance alone.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dance-thumbkin-dance/
- Type
- Action Songs, Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted finger play
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Dance, Thumbkin, dance | Wiggle your thumb. |
| Dance, ye merrymen, everyone | Wiggle all your fingers. |
| Dance, Foreman, dance | Wiggle your pointer finger alone. |
| Dance, Longman, dance | Wiggle your middle finger alone. |
| But Ringman cannot dance alone | Try to move your ring finger by itself. |
| Dance, Littleman, dance | Wiggle your little finger. |
What Does Dance, Thumbkin, Dance Mean?
The rhyme uses old names for the fingers: Thumbkin is the thumb, Foreman the pointer, Longman the middle finger, Ringman the ring finger and Littleman the little finger. The merrymen are all the fingers together. The rhyme is right about Ringman: the ring finger is joined by small bands of tissue to the fingers on either side, so it is the hardest one to lift by itself.
History and Origin
The Real Mother Goose (1916) prints the rhyme with a direction beside every line, telling the reader which finger to move. We have turned those directions into the actions below. The name Thumbkin lives on in the later finger song "Where Is Thumbkin?"
Learning Activities
- Ringman test: rest your hand flat on a table, fold the middle finger under, and try to lift the ring finger.
- Finger names: learn the old names and the modern ones side by side.
- Finger puppets: draw tiny faces on each fingertip with washable pen.