Did You See My Wife? Lyrics
A man has lost his wife in a crowd and asks everyone if they have seen her. To help them, he describes exactly what she is wearing, from her straw bonnet to her petticoats.
Did You See My Wife?
Did you see my wife, did you see, did you see,
Did you see my wife looking for me?
She wears a straw bonnet, with white ribbands on it,
And dimity petticoats over her knee.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/did-you-see-my-wife/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Sung or chanted
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does Did You See My Wife? Mean?
The speaker is looking for his wife, who is also looking for him. He describes her clothes so people can spot her: a straw bonnet (a hat tied under the chin) trimmed with white ribbons, spelled the old way as "ribbands", and petticoats made of dimity, a light cotton cloth with raised stripes.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell included this rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England. Its quick repeating first line, "did you see, did you see", gives it a sing-song rhythm, and the description of the clothes is a little snapshot of what country women wore in the 1700s and 1800s.
Learning Activities
- Have you seen...? describe what someone in the room is wearing and let your child guess who it is.
- If you get lost: talk about what to do if you are separated in a crowd: stay still and ask a shop worker or a parent with children for help.
- Old clothes: look at pictures of bonnets and old-fashioned dresses.