The Sparrow in the Snow Lyrics
A small brown sparrow hops into the snow as if it were the warmest thing around. He says he does not mind the cold, since somebody left crumbs and he has a coat of warm feathers. The last verse says the speaker will try to meet winter as cheerfully as he does.
The Sparrow in the Snow
He hopped down cheerily into the snow -
Brave little barefoot Brownie -
As if snow were the warmest thing below,
And as cosey as it is downy!
And his brown little knowing, saucy head,
In a way that was cutely funny,
He jerked to one side, as though he said,
"I don't care if it isn't sunny."
"I don't care! I don't care! I don't!" he said,
And he winked with his eye so cheery,
"For somebody's left some crumbs of bread,
So my prospects are not all dreary.
"And what's a cold toe, when I've a whole suit
Of the cunningest warm brown feathers?
I don't care if I haven't a shoe to my foot,
I'm the bird, sir, for all sorts of weathers.
"I don't fly away at the first touch of frost,
Like some of your fine-tongued birdies;
I don't think everything's ruined and lost
When the wind mutters threatening wordies.
"I don't care!" he chirped; "I don't care! I don't care!
It might be a great deal colder:
But I'm a fellow that knows no fear -
Old winter but makes me bolder!"
Ah, plain little hardy brown-coat bird!
Through life I'll try to remember
To meet its winters with cheerful word,
Like thee, to my brave December.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-sparrow-in-the-snow/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Cheeky and perky, with a hop on every "I don't care", slowing for the last verse
- Best for ages
- 4 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| He hopped down cheerily into the snow | Hop two fingers across your other palm. |
| And he winked with his eye so cheery, | Give one slow, friendly wink, or blink both eyes if winking is too tricky. |
What Does The Sparrow in the Snow Mean?
The sparrow in this poem is a small, bold bird with a lot to say. He hops down into the snow as if it were the warmest thing below, tilts his head and says I don't care, over and over. His reasons are cheerful ones. Somebody has left crumbs of bread, so his prospects (what he can hope for) are not dreary, and he already wears a whole suit of the cunningest warm brown feathers. Here cunning is used in an older sense of neat and clever. The poem calls him Brownie, a friendly name that fits his brown coat.
The sparrow also teases the birds who fly off at the first frost, fine-tongued birdies who think everything is lost when the wind mutters. He stays and says old winter only makes him bolder. The last verse changes voice, and the speaker promises to try, like the bird, to meet winter's cold days with a cheerful word.
History and Origin
The poem is in Songs for the Little Ones at Home, compiled by Mary O. Ward, first made in 1884 and revised in 1911. The book prints a credit for it to Youth's Companion, the name of a magazine for young people.
Learning Activities
- Crumbs for the birds: on a cold day, scatter a few bread crumbs or bird seed outdoors and watch who comes.
- I don't care chorus: let the child shout the words "I don't care" each time they come around.
- Footprints: if there is snow, look for small bird footprints; if not, press a finger into play dough in a row of tiny prints.
- Cheerful word: ask what we can say to feel braver when the weather is cold and grey.