Old Mother Niddity Nod Lyrics
Old Mother Niddity Nod makes a solemn promise, on her pudding-bag, that she will go to the fair at Stokenchurch. Old Father Peter says he will meet her before she is halfway there.
Old Mother Niddity Nod
Old Mother Niddity Nod swore by the pudding-bag,
She would go to Stoken Church fair;
And then old Father Peter said he would meet her
Before she got half-way there.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/old-mother-niddity-nod/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does Old Mother Niddity Nod Mean?
To swear by something is to make a promise on it, and she chooses a silly thing to promise on: her pudding-bag, the cloth bag puddings were boiled in. Stoken Church is the village of Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire, England, which once held a country fair. Father Peter plans to meet her on the way, so it sounds like they will go together.
History and Origin
Our text follows The Nursery Rhymes of England, the collection Halliwell first published in the 1840s. Many old rhymes name real English towns and their fairs, which were big events with stalls, games and animals for sale.
Learning Activities
- Silly promises: make a promise "by" a silly object, like a spoon or a sock.
- Fair day: talk about what you might see at a country fair.
- Walking game: one child is Niddity Nod, another is Father Peter, and they meet halfway across the room.