London Bridge Is Falling Down Lyrics
Children have played the arch game to London Bridge Is Falling Down for more than 250 years, trying one building material after another until the bridge finally stands.
London Bridge Is Falling Down
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
More verses
Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay.
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away.
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair lady.
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar.
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair lady.
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay.
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair lady.
Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel.
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair lady.
Build it up with stone so strong,
Stone so strong, stone so strong.
Build it up with stone so strong,
My fair lady.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/london-bridge-is-falling-down/
- Type
- Action Songs
- First published
- c. 1744
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| London Bridge is falling down | Two players face each other, hold hands and raise their arms to make a bridge. Everyone else walks through in a line. |
| Falling down, falling down | The line keeps walking under the arch. |
| London Bridge is falling down | The bridge players start to lower their arms slowly. |
| My fair lady | Drop the arms and catch whoever is underneath. They swap in to make the next bridge. |
What Does London Bridge Is Falling Down Mean?
The song is about a bridge that keeps falling down and all the ways people try to rebuild it: wood and clay wash away, iron bends, and only strong stone lasts. For children it is mostly the words to the arch game.
There are many theories about hidden meanings, including a Viking attack on London in 1014 and a grim legend about people buried in bridge foundations, and several candidates for the "fair lady". None of them has good evidence, and similar bridge songs exist in other European countries.
History and Origin
A version beginning "London Bridge is broken down" was printed in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book around 1744, and references to a dance or game about London Bridge go back even earlier.
The real London Bridge had a long history of damage and repair. The medieval stone bridge stood for more than 600 years until it was replaced in the 1830s. That replacement bridge was sold in 1968 and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it still stands.
Easy Piano Notes
Play these on a piano, keyboard or xylophone. Each line matches one line of the song.
G A G F E F G D E F, E F G G A G F E F G D G E C
Learning Activities
- Play the arch game: you need at least three players. Take turns being the bridge.
- Build a bridge: use blocks, cardboard or spaghetti and marshmallows to test which bridge is strongest, just like the verses.
- Map it: find London and the River Thames on a map, then look up the London Bridge that now stands in Arizona.
- Longest line wins: for bigger groups, anyone caught joins the bridge until only one child is left walking through.