Nettles Grow in an Angry Bush Lyrics
A ring game song where the first verse names the nettles, the second shows how the lady walks, and later verses bring in a gentleman and a tailor.
Nettles Grow in an Angry Bush
Nettles grow in an angry bush,
An angry bush, an angry bush;
Nettles grow in an angry bush,
With my High, Ho, Ham!
This is the way the lady goes,
The lady goes, the lady goes;
This is the way the lady goes,
With my High, Ho, Ham!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/nettles-grow-in-an-angry-bush/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung walking round in a ring, with a clap on each High, Ho, Ham
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Nettles grow in an angry bush | Walk round in a ring holding hands. |
| With my High, Ho, Ham! | Turn round on the spot and clap your hands. |
| This is the way the lady goes | Stop and curtsey. |
What Does Nettles Grow in an Angry Bush Mean?
Nettles sting, so the song calls the bush where they grow an angry bush. The first verse is a short, bouncy refrain, with High, Ho, Ham as a call at the end of each verse. The second verse changes into an action: this is the way the lady goes.
The game is meant to be carried on from verse to verse. Each new verse swaps the lady for another person, and the children act out that person's walk or work.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints the song in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849) and describes the play. The children dance round, singing the first three lines, and then turn round and clap hands for the fourth line. They curtsey while singing that this is the way the lady goes, and turn round and clap again for the last line.
He adds that the same steps are used in every verse, with only the acting changed. In the third verse, for instance, they bow for the gentleman. The amusement can be stretched out as long as the players like, with a tailor, shoemaking, washing the clothes, ironing, churning, milking and making up butter.
Learning Activities
- Ring game: join hands and sing the two verses in a ring.
- Lady and gentleman: take turns to be the lady or the gentleman and show the others how that person walks.
- New verses: choose a job from the list, such as milking or ironing, and act it out in a verse of your own.
- Nettle patch: look at a picture of stinging nettles and talk about why people keep their hands away from them.