See Saw Margery Daw Lyrics
Rock a baby on your knees or ride a real seesaw, and this old rhyme keeps the beat. It was printed around 1765.
See Saw Margery Daw
See saw, Margery Daw,
Jack shall have a new master;
He shall earn but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster.
Another old version (The Real Mother Goose, 1916)
See-saw, Margery Daw,
Sold her bed and lay upon straw.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/see-saw-margery-daw/
- Type
- Action Songs
- First published
- c. 1765
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 0 to 5 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| See saw, Margery Daw | Sit facing each other, hold hands and rock back and forth like a seesaw. |
| Jack shall have a new master | Keep rocking, leaning further each time. |
| He shall earn but a penny a day | Hold up one finger. |
| Because he can't work any faster | Rock very slowly, then speed up with a giggle. |
What Does See Saw Margery Daw Mean?
The rhythm copies the up and down of a seesaw, and many think the words were first a work song sung by sawyers, two people pulling a big saw back and forth. Jack earns only a penny a day because he is slow, which makes children laugh as they rock faster.
"Margery Daw" may be just a name that rhymes, and an older version below says she sold her bed and slept on straw.
History and Origin
The rhyme was printed around 1765 in Mother Goose's Melody. Seesaw games and rocking rhymes like this are among the oldest ways adults play with babies, and the rhyme is still used in baby music classes.
Learning Activities
- Knee rocking: sit your baby on your knees facing you and rock gently to the rhythm.
- Partner rowing: two children sit facing each other, hold hands and rock like a seesaw.