Fox, a Fox, a Brummalary Lyrics
One player is the fox, the rest ask how far it is to a place that does not exist, and the last line is the signal to run. This is a chasing rhyme from old English playgrounds.
Fox, a Fox, a Brummalary
Fox, a fox, a brummalary
How many miles to Lummaflary? Lummabary?
Eight and eight and a hundred and eight.
How shall I get home to-night?
Spin your legs and run fast.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/fox-a-fox-a-brummalary/
- Type
- Action Songs, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted chasing game
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Fox, a fox, a brummalary | Players stand in a line facing the fox. |
| How many miles to Lummaflary? | The players call out the question together. |
| Eight and eight and a hundred and eight | The fox answers, counting on fingers. |
| Spin your legs and run fast | Everyone runs for home while the fox gives chase. |
What Does Fox, a Fox, a Brummalary Mean?
Brummalary and Lummaflary are made-up words that make the rhyme bounce. The players ask the fox how far it is, the fox answers with a silly sum (eight and eight and a hundred and eight makes 124 miles) and the last line, "spin your legs and run fast", starts the chase.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the words with only a short note: "A game of the fox." Alice Bertha Gomme included them in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894) and suggested it was the same game as Fox and Geese, where one player, the fox, tries to catch the others.
Learning Activities
- Play it: mark a safe home base, choose a fox and run on the last line.
- Silly sums: work out eight and eight and a hundred and eight together.
- Invent a place: make up your own faraway town name and use it in the rhyme.