Dear, Dear! Two Old Women Lyrics
Two old women climb an apple tree. One comes down. The other is still up there on Saturday, and nobody says why.
Dear, Dear! Two Old Women
Dear, dear! what can the matter be?
Two old women got up in an apple-tree;
One came down,
And the other stayed till Saturday.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dear-dear-two-old-women/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken, with a pause before the last line
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Two old women got up in an apple-tree | Walk two fingers up your other arm. |
| One came down | Slide one finger back down. |
| And the other stayed till Saturday | Hold the last finger up high and wave it slowly. |
What Does Dear, Dear! Two Old Women Mean?
This is a nonsense rhyme, and the joke lives in the last line. After a worried first line, "Dear, dear!", the reader expects an explanation, and instead one woman simply stays in the tree for days. The rhyme never says why. It also makes a handy way to practice the days of the week, since Saturday arrives with no warning.
History and Origin
Walter Jerrold included it in The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (1903). Rhymes about people stuck up a tree or tossed up in a basket turn up in several old collections, such as There Was an Old Woman Tossed Up in a Basket.
Learning Activities
- Why Saturday? invent reasons the second woman stayed up there, from picking apples to enjoying the view, and tell the story.
- Days game: change the last word to another day and say it again, until you have gone through the week.
- Tree picture: draw an apple tree with two climbers, then rub one out.