The Old Woman Must Stand at the Tub Lyrics
Washday hard work, then a reward. The old woman scrubs the clothes at the tub, and once they are clean she dresses up like a lady and dances on the green.
The Old Woman Must Stand at the Tub
The old woman must stand at the tub, tub, tub,
The dirty clothes to rub, rub, rub;
But when they are clean, and fit to be seen,
She'll dress like a lady, and dance on the green.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-old-woman-must-stand-at-the-tub/
- Type
- Mother Goose, Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted work rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Stand at the tub, tub, tub | Stamp three times. |
| The dirty clothes to rub, rub, rub | Scrub your hands together three times. |
| And dance on the green | Twirl around. |
What Does The Old Woman Must Stand at the Tub Mean?
Before washing machines, clothes were washed by hand in a big tub of water and rubbed clean on a washboard. It was a long, tiring job, often done on one day of the week. The rhyme gives it a happy ending: when the work is done, she dresses up and dances on the village green, the open grassy space in the middle of a village.
History and Origin
The rhyme comes from The Little Mother Goose (1912). Washday rhymes kept time for the scrubbing, the way work songs helped people with other repetitive jobs.
Learning Activities
- Doll washday: wash doll clothes in a bowl of soapy water, rubbing in time with the rhyme.
- Then and now: talk about how clothes were washed before machines.
- Dance on the green: after the scrubbing, put on a hat and dance.