Katie Beardie Lyrics
Katie Beardie has a cow, a hen, a rooster, a piglet and a baby, and each one is finer than the last. After every verse comes the shout: "Dance, Katie Beardie!"
Katie Beardie
Katie Beardie had a coo,
Black and white about the mou';
Wasna that a dentie coo?
Dance, Katie Beardie!
Katie Beardie had a hen,
Cackled but an' cackled ben;
Wasna that a dentie hen?
Dance, Katie Beardie!
Katie Beardie had a cock
That could spin a gude tow rock;
Wasna that a dentie cock?
Dance, Katie Beardie!
Katie Beardie had a grice,
It could skate upon the ice;
Wasna that a dentie grice?
Dance, Katie Beardie!
Katie Beardie had a wean,
That was a' her lovin' ain;
Wasna that a dentie wean?
Dance, Katie Beardie!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/katie-beardie/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes, Action Songs
- Tune
- Old Scottish dance tune
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Katie Beardie had a coo | Walk in a circle, holding hands. |
| Wasna that a dentie coo? | Stop and nod, as if admiring the cow. |
| Dance, Katie Beardie! | Let go and spin or jig on the spot. |
What Does Katie Beardie Mean?
The rhyme is in Scots. Coo is cow and mou' is mouth, so the cow is black and white around its mouth. Dentie means dainty, or fine. The hen cackles "but an' ben", in and out of the two rooms of a cottage. The rooster can "spin a gude tow rock", which means spin a good bundle of flax, a joke because roosters cannot spin. A grice is a young pig, and a wean is a small child, Katie's own little one.
History and Origin
Robert Ford included the rhyme in Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories (1904). He points out that a dance tune called "Katherine Beardie" is written in a Scottish music manuscript from the early 1600s, which suggests the rhyme is around 400 years old. Sir Walter Scott mentions the dance in his novel The Fortunes of Nigel.
Learning Activities
- Animal parade: act out each animal in turn: moo, cluck, crow, oink, then rock a baby.
- Scots words: learn coo, mou', grice and wean, and use them all day.
- Add a verse: give Katie a new animal, such as a dog or a goat.