Hot Cross Buns Lyrics
Long before it was a recorder exercise, Hot Cross Buns was a street seller's call in English towns, advertising the spiced buns eaten on Good Friday.
Hot Cross Buns
Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross Buns!
The second verse
Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
If ye have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/hot-cross-buns/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- First published
- 1700s (street cry)
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 2 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Hot cross buns | Clap three times, one for each word. |
| One a penny, two a penny | Hold up one finger, then two. |
| If ye have no daughters, give them to your sons | Pretend to hand out buns to everyone around you. |
What Does Hot Cross Buns Mean?
The song is a sales call. Street sellers in English towns walked around shouting "Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny!" to sell sweet spiced buns marked with a cross, which were traditionally eaten on Good Friday before Easter.
The second verse is a friendly nudge to buyers: if you have no daughters to share them with, give them to your sons.
History and Origin
Hot cross buns were a well established Good Friday treat in England by the 1700s, and printed references to sellers crying "one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns" appear in that century. The cry was later written down as a nursery rhyme and set to the simple three-note tune we know.
Because the melody uses only three notes, it became a classic first piece for beginners on the recorder, piano and xylophone.
Easy Piano Notes
Play these on a piano, keyboard or xylophone. Each line matches one line of the song.
B A G B A G G G G G A A A A B A G
Learning Activities
- First recorder song: the whole tune uses just three notes, B, A and G. Try it on a recorder or xylophone.
- Bake buns: make simple buns together and pipe a cross on top.
- Shop game: set up a pretend bakery and use pennies or counters to buy "one a penny, two a penny".
- Easter table: sing it while you set out buns on Good Friday or at an Easter breakfast.