Doodledy, Doodledy, Dan Lyrics
Her mind is made up: she will marry a piper. There may be less money for meat, but she does not seem to mind at all.
Doodledy, Doodledy, Dan
Doodledy, doodledy, doodledy, dan,
I'll have a piper to be my good man;
And if I get less meat, I shall get game,
Doodledy, doodledy, doodledy, dan.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/doodledy-doodledy-dan/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Chanted, like a bagpipe tune
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Doodledy, doodledy, doodledy, dan | Play a pretend set of pipes, wiggling your fingers. |
| I'll have a piper to be my good man | Point to yourself and nod firmly. |
| And if I get less meat | Pretend to look into an empty pot. |
What Does Doodledy, Doodledy, Dan Mean?
Doodledy, doodledy copies the sound of the pipes, and a good man is an old way of saying husband. A piper may not earn much, so there might be less meat on the table. Game can mean wild birds and rabbits for the pot, but it may also be a little joke: less food, perhaps, but plenty of music and fun.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in James Orchard Halliwell's The Nursery Rhymes of England. Pipers and fiddlers turn up again and again in nursery rhymes, from Tom, the Piper's Son to The Piper and His Cow.
Learning Activities
- Piper parade: march round the room playing pretend pipes to the doodledy chorus.
- Sound words: make up words that copy other instruments, like a drum or a fiddle.
- Listen: find a recording of bagpipes and compare it with the rhyme.