There Were Three Crows Sat on a Stone Lyrics
Three crows sit on a stone; two fly away, then the last one flies off too, and a fal-la refrain follows every line.
There Were Three Crows Sat on a Stone
There were three crows sat on a stone,
Fal la, la la lal de,
Two flew away, and then there was one,
Fal la, la la lal de,
The other crow finding himself alone,
Fal la, la la lal de,
He flew away, and then there was none,
Fal la, la la lal de.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/there-were-three-crows-sat-on-a-stone/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Sung or chanted, with a 'fal la la la lal de' after each line
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| There were three crows sat on a stone | Hold up three fingers on one hand. |
| Two flew away, and then there was one | Flap two fingers away and keep one standing. |
| He flew away, and then there was none | Flap the last finger away and show an empty hand. |
What Does There Were Three Crows Sat on a Stone Mean?
This is a countdown, from three to two to one to none. The story lines take the crows away, and every second line is the refrain Fal la, la la lal de, a bit of song with no meaning that keeps the tune going.
The turn comes in the third story line, when the last crow finds himself alone and decides to go too. A stone is the perch for all three.
History and Origin
Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes prints the rhyme as eight lines, with the fal-la refrain after each of the four story lines, so it can be sung as well as said.
Learning Activities
- Finger crows: hold up three fingers, then fly them away one at a time as the lines say.
- Stone and crows: use three toy birds on a cushion and take them off one by one.
- Sing the refrain: let the children sing the fal-la lines while the grown-up says the story lines.
- Backwards: start with none and add a crow at a time up to three.