Ho for Slumberland Lyrics
When the little ones grow drowsy, a thousand boats are waiting in a row for Dreamland. The sleepy children climb in, the oars dip, and everyone glides across the Sea of Sleep to the Slumber Islands, singing the chorus softly.
Ho for Slumberland
When the little ones get drowsy and heavy lids droop down
To hide blue eyes and black eyes, gray eyes and eyes of brown,
A thousand boats for Dreamland are waiting in a row,
And the ferrymen are calling, "For the Slumber Islands, ho!"
Then the sleepy little children fill the boats along the shore,
And go sailing off to Dreamland; and the dipping of the oar
In the Sea of Sleep makes music that the children only know
When they answer to the boatmen's "For the Slumber Islands, ho!"
Ho, ho, ho! in Dreamland boats we go,
Row, row, row, oh, Boatman, gently row,
Low, low, low, sing, wavelets, sing below;
Along the tide of Sleep we glide
To Slumber Islands, ho!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/ho-for-slumberland/
- Type
- Lullabies, Poems for Children
- Tune
- A slow boat song with a rocking rhythm, the chorus hushed and swaying
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Row, row, row, oh, Boatman, gently row | Sit facing a partner, hold hands and rock forward and back like rowing. |
| Low, low, low, sing, wavelets, sing below | Wave your hands up and down like small waves, and sing very quietly. |
What Does Ho for Slumberland Mean?
The song turns falling asleep into a boat trip. When eyelids droop, boats for Dreamland are lined up on the shore, and the ferrymen, the boatmen who carry passengers across water, call out for the Slumber Islands. Ho is an old call to get attention, like hey there. The children board, the oars dip, and the splash of the oars on the Sea of Sleep makes a music that, the song says, only the children know.
The verses name four eye colours: blue, black, gray and brown, so every child hearing it is in the story. The chorus, which has a rowing rhythm, ends on Slumber Islands, ho!
History and Origin
The song comes from a children's anthology first made in 1884 and revised in 1911. Boat lullabies, where sleep is a voyage, appear again and again in verse for small children.
Learning Activities
- Row to sleep: sit on the floor facing the child, hold hands and rock back and forth in time to the chorus.
- Boat of cushions: line up cushions or a blanket as a boat and travel to the Slumber Islands with a toy.
- Name your island: invite the child to say what waits on their own Slumber Island, and add a line.
- Slow down: sing the chorus three times, each time quieter than the last.