Oh, Mother, Oh, Mother Lyrics
A voice calls for mother because the farmyard and the house have got mixed up: the pig is in the pantry, the chickens are loose, a parrot sits on the kettle spout and a rat has run off with the best shoe.
Oh, Mother, Oh, Mother
Oh, Mother, Oh, Mother,
Come quickly and see,
The house and the farmyard
Have gone on a spree.
The pig's in the pantry,
The chickens are out,
The parrot is perched
On the tea kettle spout.
And mercy, Oh, mercy,
Oh, what shall I do?
A rat has run off
With my very best shoe.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/oh-mother-oh-mother/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Excited and breathless, getting louder on each warning
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Oh, Mother, Oh, Mother, come quickly and see | Wave one arm to call someone over. |
| The chickens are out | Flap bent arms like wings. |
| A rat has run off with my very best shoe | Run two fingers along your arm, then hide a hand behind your back. |
What Does Oh, Mother, Oh, Mother Mean?
A spree is a spell of lively, noisy play, so saying that the house and farmyard "have gone on a spree" means everything is out of its place and having a wild time. A pantry is the cool cupboard or small room where food is kept, so a pig in the pantry is a very good place for a pig and a very bad place for the food. The parrot on the spout of the tea kettle is a funny sight and a hot place to perch.
The speaker's worry grows with each verse. The first verse is the call, the second is the list of troubles, and the third asks "what shall I do?" and ends with the worst news of all, the missing best shoe. There is no answer in the poem, so the ending is open for a child to finish.
History and Origin
Jackson wrote this for his 1918 book of rhymes. The speaker never says who is calling or what happens next, so the poem works as a little scene to act out.
Learning Activities
- Tidy-up story: let a child say how they would put the pig, the chickens, the parrot and the shoe back where they belong.
- Act it out: one child calls, the others become the pig, the hens, the parrot and the rat.
- Finish the poem: ask what the speaker should do next and make up a fourth verse.
- Rhyme pairs: listen for see and spree, and do and shoe.