Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-Burning Lyrics
Players stand in a chain, holding each other round the waist, and chant four lines at Jack, who walks off and then comes back to see whether the bread is baked.
Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-Burning
Jack, Jack, the bread's a-burning,
All to a cinder;
If you don't come and fetch it out
We'll throw it through the winder.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/jack-jack-the-breads-a-burning/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted by the whole group
- Best for ages
- 5 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Jack, Jack, the bread's a-burning | Call to Jack, who walks a little way off. |
| All to a cinder | Everyone holds on to the player in front. |
| fetch it out | Jack comes back and pats the players to test the bread. |
What Does Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-Burning Mean?
The chant is the signal in a game of pretend baking. Children line up one behind the other, the first leaning against a wall or a tree and every child holding the waist of the one in front. These are the loaves in the oven. The child chosen as Jack walks away until the chant ends, then comes back and pokes or pats the loaves, saying "I don't think you're done yet".
Jack tries again and again. When he thinks the bread is ready, he tries to pull the first child out of the chain. The words use winder for window, a dialect spelling.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme prints the game in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894). She credits it to Warwickshire, taking it from Northall's Folk Rhymes (page 390), and adds a cross-reference to a game called Mother Mop.
The book does not say who first made up the words or when the game began.
Learning Activities
- Chain loaves: play the game in the garden with a wall or tree to lean on.
- Bread baking: bake a loaf and test whether it is done by tapping the bottom.
- Dialect words: collect other words for window or door from older books.
- Add a verse: change the bread to cakes and make up new lines.