There Was a Man, and His Name Was Dob Lyrics
Dob has a wife called Mob, a dog called Cob, and a cat called Chitterabob, and the second half sorts out whose is whose.
There Was a Man, and His Name Was Dob
There was a man, and his name was Dob,
And he had a wife, and her name was Mob,
And he had a dog, and he called it Cob,
And she had a cat, called Chitterabob.
Cob, says Dob,
Chitterabob, says Mob,
Cob was Dob's dog,
Chitterabob Mob's cat.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/there-was-a-man-and-his-name-was-dob/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted fast, then slowly for the last four lines
- Best for ages
- 4 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Cob, says Dob | Point to the left for Dob and then to an imaginary dog. |
| Chitterabob, says Mob | Point to the right for Mob and then to an imaginary cat. |
What Does There Was a Man, and His Name Was Dob Mean?
The first four lines introduce a family of four: Dob, his wife Mob, their dog Cob and the cat Chitterabob. The names are made to chime, with Dob, Mob and Cob all ending in the same sound.
The last four lines repeat who owns which: Dob calls for Cob, Mob calls for Chitterabob, Cob is Dob's dog, and Chitterabob is Mob's cat. Saying them fast without muddling the names is the fun of it.
History and Origin
The rhyme runs to eight lines in Halliwell's collection of English rhymes. The second half works as a quick quiz on the first, with the owners named all over again.
Learning Activities
- Name quiz: ask who owns the dog and who owns the cat, and see whether children can answer without looking.
- Fast and slow: say the last four lines faster each time until someone muddles a name.
- Make a family: invent a rhyming pet name for each person in your own family.