It Costs Little Gossip Her Income for Shoes Lyrics
A two-line rhyme about a little neighbour who walks so far, carrying news from house to house, that her shoes use up all her money.
It Costs Little Gossip Her Income for Shoes
It costs little Gossip her income for shoes,
To travel about and carry the news.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/it-costs-little-gossip-her-income-for-shoes/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken in a quick, teasing voice
- Best for ages
- 4 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| travel about | March on the spot, lifting your feet high. |
| carry the news | Pretend to hold a letter and pass it to a friend. |
What Does It Costs Little Gossip Her Income for Shoes Mean?
The rhyme pokes gentle fun at someone who walks everywhere to share the latest news. A gossip in old English could simply mean a friend or neighbour who chats, and here it is a small one who wears out her shoes going from door to door.
Two lines are enough to hold a joke: the shoes cost her income, because the trip is long and she goes all the time. It is a good rhyme for talking about shoes, walking and how news travels.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Little Mother Goose (1912), a picture book of nursery rhymes, with no author named. The book was illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith.
Learning Activities
- Shoe count: count the pairs of shoes at home and sort them by use.
- News walk: deliver a pretend message to each room and report back.