Jeanie, Come Tie My Bonnie Cravat Lyrics
A speaker calls Jeanie to tie a bonnie cravat, then says it has been tied behind and before so many times that nobody will tie it again.
Jeanie, Come Tie My Bonnie Cravat
Jeanie come tie my,
Jeanie come tie my,
Jeanie come tie my bonnie cravat;
I've tied it behind,
I've tied it before,
And I've tied it so often, I'll tie it no more.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/jeanie-come-tie-my-bonnie-cravat/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken or sung with a swinging beat
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Jeanie come tie my | Beckon with one hand. |
| I've tied it behind | Reach behind your neck as if tying a scarf. |
| I've tied it before | Tie the scarf in front. |
What Does Jeanie, Come Tie My Bonnie Cravat Mean?
The rhyme is a tiny scene in six lines. The first three lines all begin with the same words, Jeanie come tie my, so the call repeats before it is finished. Then comes the report: the cravat, a neckcloth, has been tied behind and before. The last line gives the ending: it has been tied so often that it will be tied no more.
Children enjoy the way the repetition builds, and the final refusal brings the little scene to a funny end.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints the rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England with no author or date.
The word cravat in the title line points to an old fashion of wearing a cloth tied at the neck.
Learning Activities
- Scarf practice: tie a scarf behind and in front and see which is easier.
- Repeat and refuse: act the scene out with one child asking and another tying.
- Find the repeat: count how many lines start with the same words.