Dibbity, Dibbity, Dibbity, Doe Lyrics
Knock, knock: a hungry visitor asks for a pancake and promises to leave, then asks again for just a bit of a fritter.
Dibbity, Dibbity, Dibbity, Doe
Dibbity, dibbity, dibbity, doe.
Give me a pancake
And I'll go.
Dibbity, dibbity, dibbity, ditter,
Please to give me
A bit of a fritter.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dibbity-dibbity-dibbity-doe/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken, tapping the beat
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Dibbity, dibbity, dibbity, doe | Tap a drumroll with two fingers on a table. |
| Give me a pancake | Hold out an open hand. |
| And I'll go | Wave, and step back. |
| A bit of a fritter | Show a tiny gap between finger and thumb. |
What Does Dibbity, Dibbity, Dibbity, Doe Mean?
The opening is a drumroll of nonsense syllables, and doe and ditter are there only to rhyme with go and fritter. A fritter is a piece of fruit or other food dipped in batter and fried. The speaker sounds like a child at a door, offering to go away in return for a treat. That would fit the old habit of asking for pancakes around Shrove Tuesday, described on the Pancake Day page, but the book does not say when the rhyme was used.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell included it in The Nursery Rhymes of England among the short rhymes he gave without a note on their origin. It has two matching halves, each built the same way: a nonsense line, a request, and a promise or a small plea.
Learning Activities
- Pancake play: flip a play pancake in a toy pan while you say the rhyme.
- Nonsense rhymes: invent a new drumroll word to rhyme with another treat, such as a cookie or a cherry.
- Make fritters: with an adult, fry spoonfuls of batter and apple pieces. Keep children back from the hot oil.