There Was a Monkey Climbed Up a Tree Lyrics
Every couplet in this old rhyme tells you something you already knew. When the monkey fell down, down he fell. When the crow was gone, there was none. Children love being in on the joke.
There Was a Monkey Climbed Up a Tree
There was a monkey climbed up a tree;
When he fell down, then down fell he.
There was a crow sat on a stone;
When he was gone, then there was none.
There was an old wife did eat an apple;
When she ate two, she had ate a couple.
There was a horse going to the mill;
When he went on, he didn't stand still.
There was a jockey ran a race;
When he ran fast, he ran apace.
There was a cobbler, clouting shoon;
When they were mended, then they were done.
There was a navy went into Spain;
When it returned, it came back again.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/there-was-a-monkey-climbed-up-a-tree/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does There Was a Monkey Climbed Up a Tree Mean?
Each pair of lines sets up a little scene and then ends by repeating the obvious, like "when he went on, he didn't stand still". A few old words appear: apace means quickly, and a cobbler clouting shoon was mending shoes, since clout meant patch and shoon was an old plural of shoe.
History and Origin
This version comes from Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. Rhymes built on obvious statements were popular because children enjoyed spotting that nothing really happens. The same kind of joke appears in Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks.
Learning Activities
- Obvious game: take turns making up couplets that state the obvious: "There was a cat who sat on a mat; when she sat down, she was not up."
- Act it out: climb, fall, run and stand still as each couplet is read.
- Old words: explain apace, clout and shoon.