In Fir Tar Is Lyrics
Say it quickly and it sounds like a Latin spell. Read it slowly and it is plain English about trees, eels, goats and horses.
In Fir Tar Is
In fir tar is,
In oak none is.
In mud eel is,
In clay none is.
Goat eat ivy,
Mare eat oats.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/in-fir-tar-is/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken puzzle rhyme
- Best for ages
- 6 to 11 years
What Does In Fir Tar Is Mean?
The trick is in the rhythm. Said fast, the short words sound like Latin. Read slowly, they make sense: fir trees have tar (sticky resin) in them, oak trees have none, eels live in mud, none live in clay, goats eat ivy and mares (female horses) eat oats.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England and noted that its last two lines appear in an English manuscript from the 1400s, so the joke is more than five hundred years old. Schoolchildren who studied Latin enjoyed baffling friends with it.
Learning Activities
- Fast and slow: say it fast so it sounds like Latin, then slowly so everyone understands.
- Nature check: smell a pine cone or fir branch to find the sticky resin.
- Write your own: try a short line that sounds foreign but is plain English.