The Green Grass Grew All Around Lyrics
Every verse adds one more thing to the pile, from a little mill on a hill up to a bird on a branch, and then the whole heap is sung back again.
The Green Grass Grew All Around
For there was a little mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there was a little tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there was a little bough
That grew upon the tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there was a little branch,
And the branch was on the bough,
And the bough was on the tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there came a little bird,
Who sat upon that branch,
And the branch was on the bough,
And the bough was on the tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
More verses from the original
For there was a little mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there was a little tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there was a little bough
That grew upon the tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there was a little branch,
And the branch was on the bough,
And the bough was on the tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
For there came a little bird,
Who sat upon that branch,
And the branch was on the bough,
And the bough was on the tree,
And the tree was near the mill,
And the mill was on the hill,
And the hill stood still,
And the green grass grew all round;
And the green grass grew all around, my boys,
The green grass grew all round.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/green-grass-grew-all-around/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung, with a repeating chorus
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| And the hill stood still | Freeze like a statue for a beat. |
| And the green grass grew all round | Spin both arms in a wide circle. |
| There came a little bird | Flap your hands like wings and land on one finger. |
What Does The Green Grass Grew All Around Mean?
This is a cumulative song: each new verse puts one more item on top of the last, then repeats the whole pile back down to the hill. The mill sits on the hill, the tree stands near the mill, the bough grows on the tree, the branch grows on the bough, and finally a bird lands on the branch. The chorus never changes, so children always know what comes next, and the joke is how long the list gets before someone runs out of breath.
The original book says the verses can go on without end, so a family can add a nest, an egg or anything else that fits.
History and Origin
This version comes from Tommy's Tunes (1917), a collection of songs sung by British soldiers during the First World War, put together by F. T. Nettleingham. The book gives it the number 85 and the tune direction "Special", which means the tune was not written down, and it adds that the verses can run on forever. That is why "my boys" is in the chorus.
Songs that pile up one item at a time are much older than that, so this one was probably known before the war too. These printed words are the earliest copy known, and children probably sang it in playgrounds in the years that followed.
Learning Activities
- Build the pile: draw each item on a card, mill, tree, bough, branch, bird, and stack the cards in order as you sing.
- Add your own: think of what could sit on the bird, perhaps a feather, and sing one more verse.
- Memory game: one person sings the new line and everyone else must repeat the whole list from the bottom up.
- Outdoor version: sing it on a walk and point to a tree, a hill or a bird when you spot one.