Johnny Shall Have a New Bonnet Lyrics
A new cap, a trip to the fair and a blue ribbon for his hair: someone is very fond of Johnny. This old Scottish-flavored rhyme is really a song of affection for a small boy.
Johnny Shall Have a New Bonnet
Johnny shall have a new bonnet,
And Johnny shall go to the fair,
And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon
To tie up his bonny brown hair.
And why may not I love Johnny?
And why may not Johnny love me?
And why may not I love Johnny
As well as another body?
And here's a leg for a stocking,
And here is a leg for a shoe,
And he has a kiss for his daddy,
And two for his mammy, I trow.
And why may not I love Johnny?
And why may not Johnny love me?
And why may not I love Johnny,
As well as another body?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/johnny-shall-have-a-new-bonnet/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Said or sung
- Best for ages
- 1 to 6 years
What Does Johnny Shall Have a New Bonnet Mean?
A bonnet here is a soft cap, the kind boys wore in Scotland. The singer promises Johnny treats and asks why she should not be allowed to love him "as well as another body", meaning as much as anyone else does. The second verse turns playful, counting his legs for a stocking and a shoe, and his kisses: one for his daddy and two for his mammy. I trow is an old way of saying I'm sure.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England in the 1840s. Other books swap the name: Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes has a Jenny version, where Jenny gets the bonnet and the blue ribbon for "her bonny brown hair". Words like bonny and body give away its Scottish and northern English roots.
Learning Activities
- Name swap: sing it with your own child's name and a treat they would really like.
- Dress-up: put a cap and a ribbon on a teddy bear while you say the first verse.
- Leg and shoe: on the second verse, touch each leg as you name the stocking and the shoe.