The Pigs Lyrics
Two hungry pigs wait behind the barnyard gate, peep through it, and scamper out when it opens to a full trough, where they both tumble in.
The Pigs
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
Hungry pigs as pigs could be,
For their dinner had to wait
Down behind the barnyard gate.
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee
Climbed the barnyard gate to see,
Peeping through the gate so high,
But no dinner could they spy.
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee
Got down sad as pigs could be;
But the gate soon opened wide
And they scampered forth outside.
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
What was their delight to see
Dinner ready not far off,
Such a full and tempting trough!
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
Greedy pigs as pigs could be,
For their dinner ran pell-mell;
In the trough both piggies fell.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-pigs/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Emilie Poulsson
- Tune
- Finger play, spoken, with the fingers as the pigs
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee | Stretch the fingers of both hands out sideways, one hand for each pig. |
| Peeping through the gate so high | Hold your fingers up like the bars of a gate and peep between them. |
| But the gate soon opened wide | Swing your hands away from each other. |
| Such a full and tempting trough! | Cup your hands together for the trough. |
| In the trough both piggies fell | Turn your cupped hands over with the thumbs pointing down. |
What Does The Pigs Mean?
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee are two pigs with one thing on their minds, dinner. They wait behind the gate, climb up to peep through it, and climb down sad when they see nothing. Then the gate opens, and a trough, the long open box that holds a pig's food, is ready. They are so greedy that they run pell-mell, which means in a hurry and all anyhow, and both fall into it.
The poem has five verses that each begin with the pigs' names, so children soon know it by heart and can join in.
History and Origin
Emilie Poulsson wrote the words, and the poem is printed in her book Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten (1889) with music by Cornelia C. Roeske. The book gives a hand shape for each part, such as spread fingers for the pigs and cupped hands for the trough.
It has five verses of four lines, twenty lines in all.
Learning Activities
- Two pigs: act out the pigs with both hands as an adult reads each verse.
- Gate game: make a gate with arms or a chair and open it on the line about the gate opening.
- Oink chorus: everyone snuffles and oinks quietly while the pigs wait.
- Draw dinner: draw the pigs at the gate, and then at the trough.