Nancy Dawson Lyrics
Nancy is far too fine to get out of bed and feed the pigs, so she stays under the covers until eight or nine. The name comes from a real and very famous dancer.
Nancy Dawson
Nancy Dawson was so fine
She wouldn't get up to serve the swine;
She lies in bed till eight or nine,
So it's Oh, poor Nancy Dawson.
And do ye ken Nancy Dawson, honey?
The wife who sells the barley, honey?
She won't get up to feed her swine,
And do ye ken Nancy Dawson, honey?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/nancy-dawson/
- Type
- Mother Goose, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
- Best for ages
- 3 to 9 years
What Does Nancy Dawson Mean?
Nancy is too proud, or too sleepy, to get up early and feed the swine, which means pigs. On a farm the animals were fed at first light, so lying in bed until eight or nine was very late. In the second verse, do ye ken is Scots for "do you know", and Nancy is the wife who sells barley.
History and Origin
The real Nancy Dawson was a dancer at the Covent Garden theatre in London in the 1750s and 1760s, famous for her hornpipe. A song about her became so popular that its tune is still used for Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. This farmyard rhyme, printed in The Real Mother Goose (1916), borrows her name and the same bouncy rhythm.
Learning Activities
- Sing it: try the words to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
- Morning jobs: make a picture chart of the things your child does after waking up.
- Farm feeding: talk about what pigs eat and when farm animals are fed.