Draw a Pail of Water Lyrics
Two children make an arch, a line of players runs through it, and the last one in the line gets caught. Draw a Pail of Water is an old game song that works just like London Bridge.
Draw a Pail of Water
Draw a pail of water,
For my lady's daughter;
My father's a king, and my mother's a queen,
My two little sisters are dress'd in green,
Stamping grass and parsley,
Marigold leaves and daisies.
One rush, two rush,
Pray thee, fine lady, come under my bush.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/draw-a-pail-of-water/
- Type
- Action Songs, Mother Goose
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Draw a pail of water | The leader mimes pulling a bucket up from a well, hand over hand. |
| My father's a king, and my mother's a queen | The line of children walks proudly, heads high. |
| One rush, two rush | The two children making the arch start to lower their arms. |
| Pray thee, fine lady, come under my bush | The arch drops and catches whoever is passing under. |
What Does Draw a Pail of Water Mean?
To draw water is to pull it up from a well in a bucket, or pail. The singer is fetching water for a lady's daughter and boasting about a royal family, with two sisters dressed in green stamping on grass, parsley, marigolds and daisies. The words are more about rhythm than sense.
Rush here probably means the plant, the long green reeds that grew by water, so "one rush, two rush" is a counting call before the arch comes down.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed it in the 1840s with instructions for the game: a line of children holding hands follows a leader under an arch made by two others, and the last child in the line is taken captive. The verses are repeated until everyone has been caught. It is the same idea as London Bridge Is Falling Down, and many old arch games were played this way.
Learning Activities
- Play the game: you need at least five children. Two make the arch; the rest follow the leader under it until everyone is caught.
- Water carrying: outdoors, let children carry small pails of water from one tub to another without spilling.
- Flower names: find pictures of parsley, marigolds and daisies, and look for them in a garden.