Little Tommy Tucker Lyrics
"Sing for your supper" is an everyday English saying, and this is where it comes from. Little Tommy Tucker was printed in 1744, in one of the very first nursery rhyme books.
Little Tommy Tucker
Little Tommy Tucker
Sings for his supper.
What shall he eat?
White bread and butter.
How will he cut it
Without e'er a knife?
How will he be married
Without e'er a wife?
The older wording (The Real Mother Goose, 1916)
Little Tom Tucker
Sings for his supper.
What shall he eat?
White bread and butter.
How will he cut it
Without e'er a knife?
How will he be married
Without e'er a wife?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/little-tommy-tucker/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- First published
- 1744
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper | Open your arms wide and sing a loud note. |
| What shall he eat? White bread and butter | Pretend to spread butter on a slice of bread. |
| How will he cut it without e'er a knife? | Shrug with empty hands. |
What Does Little Tommy Tucker Mean?
Tommy has no money, so he sings to earn his dinner. "Singing for your supper" became a phrase for doing a job or a favor in return for something, and people still use it today.
The rhyme ends with two puzzles: how can he cut his bread without a knife, and how can he get married without a wife? They are there for the rhyme and the silliness, and children usually enjoy answering them.
History and Origin
Little Tom Tucker appeared in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, printed in London in 1744, one of the earliest collections of nursery rhymes in English. Modern books usually call him Tommy Tucker.
Learning Activities
- Sing for your supper: at dinner, everyone sings one line of a song before they start eating.
- Answer the puzzles: how could Tommy cut his bread without a knife? Collect the silliest answers.
- Bread and butter: let your child spread butter (with a blunt knife) on their own slice.