One-ery, Two-ery, Dickery, Davy Lyrics
A counting-out rhyme for choosing who is "it". One child points around the circle, one word per child, and whoever gets the last word is out.
One-ery, Two-ery, Dickery, Davy
One-ery, two-ery, dickery, Davy,
Hallabone, crackabone, tenery, Navy;
Discome, dandy, merry-come-tine,
Humbledy, bumbledy, twenty-nine,
O-U-T, out. You must go out!
One-ery, two-ery, dickery, dee,
Halibo, crackibo, dandilee;
Pin, pan, muskee dan,
Twiddledum, twaddledum, twenty-one;
Black fish, white trout,
Eeny, meeny, you go out.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/one-ery-two-ery-dickery-davy/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted counting-out rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 10 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| One-ery, two-ery | Point at each child in turn, one word per child. |
| O-U-T, out | Point at a new child for each letter. |
| You must go out! | The last child pointed at steps out of the circle. |
What Does One-ery, Two-ery, Dickery, Davy Mean?
The words are mostly nonsense. One-ery and two-ery are one and two, and tenery is ten, but most of the rest are made-up sounds that keep the rhythm going. Old counting rhymes like this changed as they passed from child to child, which is why the two versions here share some words and not others. The first comes from County Wexford in Ireland, the second from the English Midlands.
History and Origin
Robert Ford collected both versions for Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories (1904), along with a Scottish one from Aberdeen. It is a cousin of the better-known "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo", which the second version ends with.
Learning Activities
- Pick who is it: use the rhyme to choose who goes first in your next game.
- Compare: say both versions and find the words they share.
- Nonsense words: make up your own counting-out word and add it to the chant.