The Nutcrackers and the Sugar-Tongs Lyrics
A nutcracker and a sugar-tongs are bored on the table, so they hop downstairs, take two ponies from the stable and ride off. The cat, mice, rats and every dish in the house watch in shock, and the pair ride away and never come back.
The Nutcrackers and the Sugar-Tongs
The Nutcrackers sate by a plate on the table;
The Sugar-tongs sate by a plate at his side;
And the Nutcrackers said, "Don't you wish we were able
Along the blue hills and green meadows to ride?
Must we drag on this stupid existence forever,
So idle and weary, so full of remorse,
While every one else takes his pleasure, and never
Seems happy unless he is riding a horse?
"Don't you think we could ride without being instructed,
Without any saddle or bridle or spur?
Our legs are so long, and so aptly constructed,
I'm sure that an accident could not occur.
Let us all of a sudden hop down from the table,
And hustle downstairs, and each jump on a horse!
Shall we try? Shall we go? Do you think we are able?"
The Sugar-tongs answered distinctly, "Of course!"
So down the long staircase they hopped in a minute;
The Sugar-tongs snapped, and the Crackers said "Crack!"
The stable was open; the horses were in it:
Each took out a pony, and jumped on his back.
The Cat in a fright scrambled out of the doorway;
The Mice tumbled out of a bundle of hay;
The brown and white Rats, and the black ones from Norway,
Screamed out, "They are taking the horses away!"
The whole of the household was filled with amazement:
The Cups and the Saucers danced madly about;
The Plates and the Dishes looked out of the casement;
The Salt-cellar stood on his head with a shout;
The Spoons, with a clatter, looked out of the lattice;
The Mustard-pot climbed up the gooseberry-pies;
The Soup-ladle peeped through a heap of veal-patties,
And squeaked with a ladle-like scream of surprise.
The Frying-pan said, "It's an awful delusion!"
The Tea-kettle hissed, and grew black in the face;
And they all rushed downstairs in the wildest confusion
To see the great Nutcracker-Sugar-tong race.
And out of the stable, with screamings and laughter
(Their ponies were cream-colored, speckled with brown),
The Nutcrackers first, and the Sugar-tongs after;
Rode all round the yard, and then all round the town.
They rode through the street, and they rode by the station;
They galloped away to the beautiful shore;
In silence they rode, and "made no observation,"
Save this: "We will never go back any more!"
And still you might hear, till they rode out of hearing,
The Sugar-tongs snap, and the Crackers say "Crack!"
Till, far in the distance their forms disappearing,
They faded away; and they never came back!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-nutcrackers-and-the-sugar-tongs/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Edward Lear
- Tune
- A galloping, rolling rhythm, with a snap and a crack on the last verse
- Best for ages
- 4 to 10 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| The Sugar-tongs snapped, and the Crackers said "Crack!" | Snap your fingers like tongs, then clap once for the crack. |
| Rode all round the yard, and then all round the town. | Bounce in your seat and trot your hands as if holding reins. |
What Does The Nutcrackers and the Sugar-Tongs Mean?
The story is one long surprise: a nutcracker and a sugar-tongs, which are tools that sit on the dinner table, decide they are tired of their stupid existence and want to ride horses like everyone else. Sate is an old spelling of sat. They claim that with their long legs they can ride without a saddle, bridle or spur, so they hop down the staircase, take two ponies from the stable and go. The cat scrambles away in fright, the mice tumble out of the hay, and the rats, even the black ones from Norway, scream that the horses are being taken.
The best part is the uproar in the house. The cups and saucers dance madly, the salt-cellar stands on its head, the soup-ladle squeaks with surprise and the frying-pan calls it an awful delusion, where a delusion is a false idea. A casement and a lattice are kinds of window. The pair ride through the street, past the station and to the shore, say nothing but We will never go back any more, and fade into the distance. Even the sound of the tools is built into the last verse: the sugar-tongs snap and the crackers say crack.
History and Origin
This poem is among the Nonsense Songs by Edward Lear. In the introduction of the collected Nonsense Books, the first Book of Nonsense is dated 1846 and the volume Nonsense Songs, Stories, etc. is dated 1871; the book prints this poem in its songs. The poem has six numbered parts of eight lines.
Learning Activities
- Table tools parade: line up a spoon, a pair of tongs and a ladle (plastic or wooden is fine) and have them ride across the floor on a cushion pony.
- Snap and crack: make the sounds of the two tools, a snap with the fingers and a crack with a clap, and do them to the beat.
- What would they say? ask what the frying-pan, the salt-cellar and the cat said when the tools rode away.
- New riders: ask the child which other kitchen things might want to go riding, and where they would go.