Melons Lyrics
Joe's mother sits all day selling melons and calls out that they are ripe and rich. Joe walks the street all day selling melons too, and his call is ripe and sweet. The same words come back to the end, like a chant.
Melons
Melons! melons!
All day long
Joe's mother sits
Selling melons.
"Ho! ripe and rich!"
Is her song,
All day long
Selling melons.
Melons! melons!
All day long,
Joe walks the street
Selling melons.
"Ho! ripe and sweet!"
Is his song,
All day long
Selling melons.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/melons/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Mary Mapes Dodge
- Tune
- A loud, steady street-seller's call, with a stamp on each 'melons'
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Joe's mother sits | Sit down and cup your hands around your mouth to call. |
| Joe walks the street | March in place, holding an imaginary basket. |
What Does Melons Mean?
The poem copies the sound of a seller calling out goods to people passing by. Two verses mirror each other: in the first, Joe's mother sits and sings Ho! ripe and rich!; in the second, Joe walks the street and sings Ho! ripe and sweet! The only change is the person and the call, so a child can hear what moved.
The point of the repeating lines is rhythm, not story. All day long and selling melons each come four times, and Melons! melons! opens each verse. A ripe melon is ready to eat, and the two adjectives, rich and sweet, are the seller's way of saying how it tastes. Calling goods aloud like this is known as a street cry.
History and Origin
Mary Mapes Dodge's book copyrighted in 1874 holds this chant. It has no plot at all, only repeating words and a steady beat.
Learning Activities
- Market stall: set out toy fruit on a table and let the child be the seller with a loud call.
- Change the goods: swap melons for apples or pears and rewrite the call to fit, such as ripe and red.
- Count the chant: clap each time 'All day long' is said and count them, which comes to four.
- Taste test: cut a slice of a ripe melon, smell it first, and let the child say whether it is rich or sweet.