The Leaves Are Green, the Nuts Are Brown Lyrics
Children dance round in a ring singing about green leaves and brown nuts that hang too high, and on the last word they all drop to the ground.
The Leaves Are Green, the Nuts Are Brown
The leaves are green, the nuts are brown,
They hang so high they will not come down;
Leave them alone till frosty weather,
Then they will all come down together.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-leaves-are-green-the-nuts-are-brown/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung to the tune of Nuts in May
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| The leaves are green, the nuts are brown | Join hands and circle to the left. |
| They hang so high | Reach both hands high. |
| come down together | Everyone flops down on the ground. |
What Does The Leaves Are Green, the Nuts Are Brown Mean?
The song is an autumn picture. The leaves are still green, but the nuts are ripe and brown, and they hang so high that nobody can reach them. The advice is to leave them alone until frosty weather, and then they will all come down together.
The last two words give the game its action. At together the children let go and flop on the ground, just like nuts dropping from the branches. It is a short song that small children can learn after one or two tries.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme prints the song in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894). She takes it from Berkshire, through Miss Thoyts, who wrote about it in the Antiquary, and says the tune is that of "Nuts in May".
The entry adds that the children dance round in a circle while singing and flop down on the ground at the last words.
Learning Activities
- Autumn walk: collect leaves and, where it is safe, look for fallen nuts under trees.
- Ring and fall: dance in a circle and drop down together on the last word.