I Had Four Brothers Over the Sea Lyrics
Four brothers send four impossible presents: a goose without a bone, a cherry without a stone, a blanket without a thread and a book no one can read. The last two verses solve the riddles.
I Had Four Brothers Over the Sea
I had four brothers over the sea,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine;
And they each sent a present unto me.
Petrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Tempore,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine.
The first sent a goose without a bone,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine;
The second sent a cherry without a stone,
Petrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Tempore,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine.
The third sent a blanket without a thread,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine;
The fourth sent a book that no man could read,
Petrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Tempore,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine.
When the cherry's in the blossom, there is no stone,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine;
When the goose is in the egg-shell, there is no bone.
Petrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Tempore,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine.
When the wool's on the sheep's back, there's no thread,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine:
When the book's in the press, no man can read
Petrum, Partrum, Paradisi, Tempore,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-four-presents/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Sung riddle song
- Best for ages
- 5 to 10 years
What Does I Had Four Brothers Over the Sea Mean?
Each present sounds impossible until you hear the answers. A cherry still in blossom has no stone yet, a goose still in its egg has no bone, wool still on the sheep's back has no thread, and a book still at the printing press cannot be read. The lines like "Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domine" are a sing-song made of Latin-sounding words, there for the music rather than the meaning.
History and Origin
Walter Crane set the song to music in The Baby's Bouquet (1878). Riddle songs of impossible gifts are very old in English and Scottish folk music, and the same riddles appear in other songs, where the gifts are sent to a sweetheart.
Learning Activities
- Riddle first: sing the first three verses and let your child guess the answers before the last two.
- Draw the answers: draw a cherry blossom, an egg, a sheep and a printing press.
- New riddles: make up an impossible present and its answer.