High Diddle Doubt, My Candle's Out Lyrics
It is dark, the candle has gone out, and the little maid has not come home. So the speaker saddles a hog and bridles a dog to ride off and fetch her.
High Diddle Doubt, My Candle's Out
High diddle doubt, my candle's out
My little maid is not at home;
Saddle my hog and bridle my dog,
And fetch my little maid home.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/high-diddle-doubt-my-candles-out/
- Type
- Mother Goose, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
What Does High Diddle Doubt, My Candle's Out Mean?
"High diddle doubt" is a nonsense opening, like "hey diddle diddle". The candle being out means it is dark, and the little maid, perhaps a daughter or a young helper, is still out. Instead of a horse, the speaker saddles a hog (a pig) and puts a bridle (the straps for steering a horse) on a dog. Picturing someone riding a pig to fetch her home is the whole joke.
History and Origin
The rhyme appears as "My Little Maid" in The Real Mother Goose (1916). It also appears in Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes, and the silly ride fits a long line of nursery rhymes about riding unlikely animals, like Old Mother Goose on her gander.
Learning Activities
- Draw the ride: draw someone riding a pig with a dog trotting alongside.
- Candle check: talk about how houses were lit before electric lights.
- Swap animals: what else could you saddle? A goat? A goose? Make up a new line.