The Lost Doll Lyrics
The speaker once had the prettiest doll in the world and lost it on the heath, crying for more than a week. When it is found, its paint is washed away, its arms are trodden off by cows and its hair has lost its curls, but for old times' sake it is still the prettiest doll.
The Lost Doll
I once had a sweet little doll, dears,
The prettiest doll in the world;
Her cheeks were so red and white, dears,
And her hair was so charmingly curled.
But I lost my poor little doll, dears,
As I played on the heath one day;
And I cried for her more than a week, dears,
But I never could find where she lay.
I found my poor little doll, dears,
As I played on the heath one day;
Folks say she is terribly changed, dears,
For her paint is all washed away,
And her arms trodden off by the cows, dears,
And her hair not the least bit curled;
Yet for old sake's sake, she is still, dears,
The prettiest doll in the world.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-lost-doll/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Charles Kingsley
- Tune
- A gentle, sing-song tune with a sad dip in the first half and a warm lift on the last line
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| I found my poor little doll, dears, | Cradle one arm and rock it as if holding a doll. |
| The prettiest doll in the world. | Hold up an open hand, then hug it to your chest. |
What Does The Lost Doll Mean?
The speaker tells the story to listeners the poem calls dears. First comes the doll as she was: cheeks red and white, hair in neat curls, the prettiest doll in the world. Then comes the loss on the heath, an open stretch of rough, wild land, and a week of crying. In the second verse the doll turns up. She is terribly changed: her paint has washed away, her arms are trodden off by the cows and her hair is not the least bit curled.
The last two lines are the heart of the poem. Yet for old sake's sake, meaning for the sake of old times, she is still the prettiest doll in the world. The poem says that the things we love are special because we love them, not because they stay perfect. The line about the prettiest doll in the world comes in the first verse and again at the very end, and the second time it means more.
History and Origin
This version is in Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories, edited by Hamilton Wright Mabie and others (University Society, 1927 edition), which credits it to Charles Kingsley. The same song appears in Kingsley's children's story The Water-Babies, where a fairy sings it to the water-babies, with small differences in wording.
Learning Activities
- Doll hospital: give a worn toy a careful clean and tidy, and talk about why it is still loved.
- Lost and found: hide a favourite doll or soft toy somewhere in the room and let the child hunt for it.
- Old toy talk: ask the child which of their toys is the oldest or most worn, and why it matters.
- Sing the dears: let the child join in on the word dears each time it comes round.