Tommy Trot, a Man of Law Lyrics
Tommy Trot sells his bed and sleeps on straw. Then he sells the straw and sleeps on the grass. All so he can buy his wife a mirror.
Tommy Trot, a Man of Law
Tommy Trot, a man of law,
Sold his bed and lay upon straw:
Sold the straw and slept on grass,
To buy his wife a looking-glass.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/tommy-trot-a-man-of-law/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does Tommy Trot, a Man of Law Mean?
A man of law is a lawyer, someone you would expect to be sensible. Instead, Tommy sells his bed, then sells the straw he slept on, and ends up sleeping on the grass, just to buy his wife a looking-glass, an old word for a mirror. Each trade leaves him worse off, which is the joke.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell printed the rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England. Rhymes about foolish trades, where someone gives up something useful for something small, were a favorite way of teaching children to think before they swap.
Learning Activities
- Trading game: talk about whether each of Tommy's trades was a good idea.
- Old words: learn looking-glass and man of law.
- Better plan: ask your child how Tommy could have bought the mirror without losing his bed.