Sweep, Sweep, Chimney Sweep Lyrics
A chimney sweep sings of sweeping from the bottom to the top, then says that whether by rope, by ladder or by neither, the climb will go on.
Sweep, Sweep, Chimney Sweep
Sweep, sweep,
Chimney sweep,
From the bottom to the top,
Sweep all up,
Chimney sweep,
From the bottom to the top.
Climb by rope,
Or climb by ladder,
Without either
I'll climb farther.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/sweep-sweep-chimney-sweep/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Chanted in a steady sweeping rhythm
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Sweep, sweep, Chimney sweep | Make long sweeping strokes with an imaginary brush. |
| From the bottom to the top | Start with your hands low and sweep them slowly up above your head. |
| Climb by rope, Or climb by ladder | Pull a pretend rope hand over hand, then climb an imaginary ladder. |
What Does Sweep, Sweep, Chimney Sweep Mean?
A chimney sweep cleans the soot out of chimneys, so the work starts at the bottom of the chimney and moves to the top. The first six lines are the sweeping chant, with the line from the bottom to the top coming twice, as the third and sixth lines.
The last four lines are about how to get up there: by rope or by ladder. The final line, I'll climb farther, says the sweep will keep going even without either of them.
History and Origin
The rhyme is in an 1833 edition of The Only True Mother Goose Melodies. It is a short two-part verse of six lines followed by four.
Learning Activities
- Sweeping dance: sweep the floor with a soft broom in time with the chant.
- Up and down: sweep low on 'bottom' and reach high on 'top'.
- Soot talk: look at a picture of a chimney and talk about why it needs cleaning.
- Rope or ladder: climb a pretend rope and a pretend ladder and say which one is faster.