Ride a Cock-Horse to Coventry-Cross Lyrics
A cock-horse ride takes you to Coventry-cross to see what Emma can buy, a penny white cake and a twopenny tart or pie.
Ride a Cock-Horse to Coventry-Cross
Ride a cock-horse to Coventry-cross;
To see what Emma can buy;
A penny white cake I'll buy for her sake,
And a twopenny tart or a pie.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/ride-a-cock-horse-to-coventry-cross/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken with a bounce on each beat while riding on a knee
- Best for ages
- 1 to 5 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Ride a cock-horse | Bounce the child gently on your knee. |
| A penny white cake | Show a round shape with both hands. |
| A twopenny tart or a pie | Hold up two fingers, then make a pie shape. |
What Does Ride a Cock-Horse to Coventry-Cross Mean?
A cock-horse is a toy horse, or a grown-up's knee used as one, so the rhyme is a pretend ride. The rider goes to Coventry-cross, in the English city of Coventry, to see what Emma can buy. The speaker says that for her sake a penny white cake will be bought, and a twopenny tart or a pie.
The prices of a penny and twopence show that the rhyme belongs to the time of old British coins.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints the rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England as number CCCXII, among the rhymes for children's games and rides. The first line has the same opening as the better-known rhyme for Banbury-cross, with Coventry swapped in for Banbury.
Learning Activities
- Knee ride: bounce a small child on your knee, slowly at first and then faster, as you say the lines.
- Pretend baker's: set out a play cake, a tart and a pie and let children choose one.
- Penny sums: work out how many pennies a cake and a tart cost together, then add the pie.
- Find Coventry: look at a map of England and point to Coventry.