Dippy-Dippy-Davy Lyrics
Something has gone very wrong at sea. Half the Royal Navy is out in the dark, chasing a shark away from someone called Dippy-Dippy-Davy.
Dippy-Dippy-Davy
Dippy-Dippy-Davy,
Half the Royal Navy
In the dampness and the dark
Was driving off a savage shark
To Dippy-Dippy-Davy.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dippy-dippy-davy/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does Dippy-Dippy-Davy Mean?
The Royal Navy is Britain's navy. The joke is the size of the rescue: half the navy, out in the damp and dark, just to drive away one shark from a boy (or a sailor) with a very silly name. It is a rhyme of big fuss over one small problem.
History and Origin
The rhyme comes from The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918) by the American writer Leroy F. Jackson, whose rhymes are full of silly names and big exaggerations.
Learning Activities
- Bath-time rescue: act it out in the bath with a toy shark and toy boats.
- Silly names: make up rhyming names like Dippy-Dippy-Davy for family members.
- Shark facts: look up which sharks are gentle, like the huge whale shark.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Royal Navy?
Britain's navy, its fleet of warships.
Who wrote Dippy-Dippy-Davy?
Leroy F. Jackson, in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).