Lemons and Oranges, Two for a Penny Lyrics
A fruit seller calls out the price of lemons and oranges, boasts of counting well, then ends with a quiet look back at days gone by.
Lemons and Oranges, Two for a Penny
Lemons and oranges, two for a penny,
I'm a good scholar that counts so many.
The rose is red, the leaves are green,
The days are past that I have seen.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/lemons-and-oranges-two-for-a-penny/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted in a sing-song street-cry voice
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Lemons and oranges | Hold out one cupped hand, then the other, as if showing fruit. |
| two for a penny | Hold up two fingers, then tap them against your palm like a coin. |
| The rose is red, the leaves are green | Make a rose with cupped hands, then wave your fingers like leaves. |
What Does Lemons and Oranges, Two for a Penny Mean?
The first line sounds like a seller calling out the price of fruit: two for a penny. The second line has the seller boasting about being a good scholar who can count so many, which makes it a fine rhyme for practising numbers aloud.
The last two lines change mood. The rose is red and the leaves are green, but the days that the speaker has seen are past. Children can enjoy it as a counting chant, and older listeners may notice the small, wistful turn at the end.
History and Origin
Robert Ford prints the rhyme in Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories among the counting-out rhymes he gathered. The first line is a street seller's cry, and the price in pennies shows it belongs to the days of old British coins, when a penny could buy two pieces of fruit.
Learning Activities
- Market stall: set up a pretend fruit stall and have children call the price in the rhyme's words.
- Count the fruit: sort real or toy fruit into twos and count how many pairs there are.
- Rose and leaves: draw a red rose with green leaves to go with the third line.
- Penny sums: work out the cost of four, six or eight pieces of fruit at two for a penny.