Singing Lyrics
Everyone sings about something different, from the bird and her speckled eggs to the sailor and his ropes, but even the organ man sings in the rain.
Singing
Of speckled eggs the birdie sings
And nests among the trees;
The sailor sings of ropes and things
In ships upon the seas.
The children sing in far Japan,
The children sing in Spain;
The organ with the organ man
Is singing in the rain.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/singing/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Tune
- Spoken, or sung to any tune that fits
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Of speckled eggs the birdie sings | Tweet with your fingers opening and closing like a beak. |
| The sailor sings of ropes and things | Pull an imaginary rope hand over hand. |
| Is singing in the rain | Wiggle your fingers down like falling rain. |
What Does Singing Mean?
Two short verses, two ideas. In the first, a bird, then a sailor, each sing about the things they know best: eggs and nests for the bird, ropes and things for the sailor on a ship. In the second, children in faraway places like Japan and Spain are singing too, and so is the organ man, the street musician who turned the handle of a barrel organ, even though it is raining.
The idea is simple and kind: singing belongs to everybody, whatever they do and wherever they live. It is a good starting point for asking children what they would sing about.
History and Origin
The poem is by Robert Louis Stevenson and is in his book A Child's Garden of Verses, which he dedicated to Alison Cunningham. The copy used for this page is the 1905 edition printed by Charles Scribner's Sons.
The poems in the book are written from a child's point of view, with short lines and simple pictures.
Learning Activities
- Sing about it: ask each child what they would sing about and add a line for each answer.
- Around the world: find Japan and Spain on a map and learn how to say hello in each.
- Rain song: sing a favorite song while tapping your fingers on a table like rain.
- Organ man: turn an imaginary handle while you hum a tune.