Green Grow the Leaves Lyrics
Children march or dance in a ring singing about green leaves on the old oak tree, then pick a partner while the last line is sung.
Green Grow the Leaves
Green grow the leaves round the old oak tree,
Green grow the leaves round the old oak tree,
Green grow the leaves round the old oak tree,
As we go marching on.
Bless my life I hardly knew you,
Bless my life I hardly knew you,
Bless my life I hardly knew you,
As we go marching on.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/green-grow-the-leaves/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung while marching in a ring
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Green grow the leaves round the old oak tree | Stretch your arms up and wave your fingers like leaves. |
| As we go marching on | March on the spot with high knees. |
| Bless my life I hardly knew you | Hold your hands to your cheeks in surprise. |
What Does Green Grow the Leaves Mean?
This is a marching and ring game. The children form a circle, with one child in the middle, and sing about green leaves growing round the old oak tree. In each verse the first line is sung three times, which makes it easy to learn. In the second verse the singer meets someone they hardly recognize and says "Bless my life", an old way of saying "goodness me". While the last line is sung, the child in the middle chooses a partner to take their place.
It works well with a big group, because everyone marches together and the pattern never changes.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme prints this song in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894). The words here come from Earls Heaton in Yorkshire, sent in by a Mr. Hardy, and she notes that versions from Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Sharleston are played in much the same way.
Gomme says one variant is evidently an imitation of the marching song "John Brown", and that the Sharleston game is acted like "The Jolly Miller".
Learning Activities
- Marching ring: march in a circle, with one child in the middle choosing a partner on the last line.
- Oak tree craft: draw an oak tree and add green leaves for each time you sing the line.
- Leaf walk: collect leaves and sort them by shape.
- Slow and fast: march slowly, then faster, keeping together.