Hey Diddle Diddle Lyrics
Nothing in Hey Diddle Diddle could really happen, and that is the point. Cats do not play fiddles and cows do not clear the moon, but children have enjoyed the nonsense since about 1765.
Hey Diddle Diddle
Hey, diddle, diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/hey-diddle-diddle/
- Type
- Mother Goose, Animal Rhymes
- First published
- c. 1765
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 1 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle | Play an air fiddle. |
| The cow jumped over the moon | Jump as high as you can, arms up. |
| The little dog laughed to see such sport | Hold your tummy and laugh. |
| And the dish ran away with the spoon | Run on the spot, waving goodbye. |
What Does Hey Diddle Diddle Mean?
It is pure nonsense verse: a world where animals play music, cows fly and kitchen things run off together. The fun is in the silly pictures and the bouncy rhythm, not in a hidden message.
People have suggested it describes constellations in the night sky or people at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, but none of these ideas has any real evidence.
History and Origin
The rhyme was first printed around 1765 in Mother Goose's Melody. "Hey diddle diddle" was already an old expression for nonsense, and the phrase "the cat and the fiddle" was a popular name for English pubs and inns.
The image of the cow jumping over the moon became one of the most drawn scenes in children's books.
Learning Activities
- Silly pictures: draw the cow jumping over the moon, then invent your own nonsense line.
- Kitchen parade: give a toy dish and spoon faces and let them "run away".
- Rhyme spotting: find the rhyming words (diddle and fiddle, moon and spoon).