The Little Black Dog Ran Round the House Lyrics
One little dog starts a chain of noise. The bull roars, the monkey rows away in a boat, and the rooster on the rock crows so hard he cracks his voice.
The Little Black Dog Ran Round the House
The little black dog ran round the house,
And set the bull a roaring,
And drove the monkey in the boat,
Who set the oars a rowing,
And scared the cock upon the rock,
Who cracked his throat with crowing.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-little-black-dog-ran-round-the-house/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| The little black dog ran round the house | Run your fingers in a circle on your lap. |
| And set the bull a roaring | Make a big roaring bull noise. |
| Who set the oars a rowing | Row with both arms. |
| Who cracked his throat with crowing | Crow as loudly as you can. |
What Does The Little Black Dog Ran Round the House Mean?
It is a chain reaction: each animal sets off the next. The dog upsets the bull, the bull's noise sends the monkey off rowing in a boat, and the commotion makes the rooster (the cock on the rock) crow so loudly he "cracked his throat", meaning he made his voice go hoarse. Nobody is hurt; everyone is just very noisy.
History and Origin
The rhyme comes from The Only True Mother Goose Melodies, printed in Boston in 1833, one of the earliest American Mother Goose books. Chain rhymes like this, where one thing leads to another, are close cousins of The House That Jack Built.
Learning Activities
- Animal noises: each child takes one animal and makes its sound in turn.
- Chain game: invent your own chain: the cat chased the mouse, who woke the baby, who...
- Draw the chain: draw the dog, bull, monkey and rooster with arrows between them.