There Were Two Birds Sat on a Stone Lyrics
Two birds, then one, then none, and a stone left all by itself. This counting-down song is short, singable and ends with a funny little twist.
There Were Two Birds Sat on a Stone
There were two birds sat on a stone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
One flew away, and then there was one,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
The other flew after, and then there was none,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
And so the poor stone was left all alone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/there-were-two-birds-sat-on-a-stone/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Sung with a fa-la-la chorus
- Best for ages
- 1 to 5 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| There were two birds sat on a stone | Hold up two fingers on a closed fist (the stone). |
| One flew away, and then there was one | Fly one finger away behind your back. |
| The other flew after, and then there was none | Fly the second finger away. |
| And so the poor stone was left all alone | Show the empty fist and make a sad face. |
What Does There Were Two Birds Sat on a Stone Mean?
The birds fly off one at a time, and the rhyme counts down from two to zero. The twist is the last line: instead of following the birds, it feels sorry for the stone. The "fa, la, la, la, lal, de" lines are a singing chorus, like the fa-la-las in old English songs.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the song in The Nursery Rhymes of England in the 1840s. Counting rhymes that take numbers away, like this one and Two Little Blackbirds, are a gentle first step toward understanding subtraction.
Learning Activities
- Finger birds: play it with two fingers flying off a fist.
- Bigger numbers: start with five birds and count all the way down.
- Cheer up the stone: ask your child to add a verse where the birds come back.