Little Bo-Peep Lyrics
Most people can recite the first verse of Little Bo-Peep, where a young shepherdess loses her sheep and is told they will find their own way home. Fewer know the story carries on for four more verses.
Little Bo-Peep
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
The other four verses
Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For still they all were fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left all their tails behind 'em!
It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray
Unto a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails, side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.
She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks she raced;
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
That each tail should be properly placed.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/little-bo-peep/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes, Mother Goose
- First published
- c. 1805
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep | Shade your eyes with your hand and look all around. |
| And can't tell where to find them | Shrug your shoulders with your palms up. |
| Leave them alone, and they'll come home | Wave your hand gently as if saying "never mind", then walk your fingers towards you. |
| And bring their tails behind them | Wiggle a hand behind your back like a little tail. |
What Does Little Bo-Peep Mean?
The first verse is a comforting message: some things sort themselves out if you are patient. The sheep wander off, but they find their own way home.
The longer version turns into a funny story. Bo-Peep falls asleep, dreams about her sheep, and finally finds their tails hanging on a tree. It is nonsense humour typical of the early 1800s, and children usually enjoy the silliness.
History and Origin
The name comes from bo-peep, an old word for the game of peekaboo. It was used in England for centuries; Shakespeare mentions playing "bo-peep" in King Lear, written around 1606.
The rhyme itself was first recorded in the early 1800s, and the full five-verse story became popular through illustrated nursery rhyme books of the 19th century. Shepherdesses were a favorite subject of pictures and china figures at the time, which helped make Bo-Peep one of the best known characters in the nursery.
Learning Activities
- Hide the sheep: hide a few toy or paper sheep around the room and let your child find them after the song.
- Play bo-peep: with babies, play peekaboo while singing the first line. It is where the name comes from.
- Cotton wool sheep: glue cotton balls onto a paper sheep shape and add a tail at the end.