If a Pig Wore a Wig Lyrics
What would you say to a pig in a wig? Treat him as a gentleman and say good day. And if his tail fell off, he could go to the tailoress for a new one. Eight lines of made-up manners, with the pun explained.
If a Pig Wore a Wig
If a pig wore a wig,
What could we say?
Treat him as a gentleman,
And say "Good day."
If his tail chanced to fail,
What could we do?
Send him to the tailoress
To get one new.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/if-a-pig-wore-a-wig/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Bright and quick, with a small bow on 'Good day'
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| And say Good day | Take off an imaginary hat and bow your head. |
| If his tail chanced to fail | Wiggle your bottom, then stop and look behind you in surprise. |
| Send him to the tailoress | Pretend to thread a needle and sew in the air. |
What Does If a Pig Wore a Wig Mean?
The poem asks two what-if questions and answers each with good manners. First: if a pig wore a wig, what could we say? The answer is to treat him as a gentleman, because a gentleman in a wig deserves a polite "Good day." Then: if his tail chanced to fail, meaning gave way and dropped off, what could we do? The answer is to send him to the tailoress, a woman who makes and mends clothes, to get a new one.
The second answer is a pun. A pig's tail and a tailoress begin with the same sound, and a tailoress mends things made of cloth, not pigs. The poem pretends that is a sensible solution. It also keeps a tidy rhyme going: say with day, and do with new.
For a child it is a lesson in imagining. The pig does not have to be explained; the fun is in how seriously everyone takes it. Children often add their own what-ifs straight away.
History and Origin
Christina Rossetti, an English poet who lived from 1830 to 1894, put this verse among the playful ones in her nursery rhyme book Sing-Song, which came out in 1872. Her book mixes quiet nature poems with nonsense of this kind, where the characters speak in ordinary good manners about impossible things.
Pig rhymes were common in the nursery long before her book, and a child who knows This Little Piggy will already feel at home here.
Learning Activities
- What-if round: take turns with 'If a cat wore a hat, what could we say?' and answer with good manners.
- Wig for a pig: make a wig from yarn or paper strips and put it on a toy pig.
- Tailoress play: use a toy needle case and scraps of felt, and 'mend' a toy animal's tail.
- Say Good day: practise bowing and saying 'good day' to everyone in the room.