Up on the Garden Gate Lyrics
A child asks to be set on the garden gate, in a Sunday tie, to watch the circus band go by with a round-eyed stare. The child also asks for sweets and gum and then promises to get down and share them with the clown and the monkey.
Up on the Garden Gate
Set me up on the garden gate
And put on my Sunday tie;
I want to be there
With a round-eyed stare
When the circus band goes by.
Give me a bag of suckerettes
And give me a piece of gum,
Then I'll get down
And treat the clown,
And give the monkey some.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/up-on-the-garden-gate/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Bright and bouncy like a parade tune, with a loud finish on the monkey
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| With a round-eyed stare | Make circles with your thumbs and fingers and hold them up to your eyes. |
| When the circus band goes by. | Play an imaginary drum or trumpet and march on the spot. |
What Does Up on the Garden Gate Mean?
This is a child's wish list for a very exciting day. The circus parade is coming down the road, and the child wants the best seat in the house: up on the garden gate, wearing a Sunday tie, which means the smart tie kept for best. The only thing missing is a treat, so the child asks for a bag of suckerettes, which sound like small sweets to suck, and a piece of gum.
The second verse shows the child is generous. Once settled, the child will get down and treat the clown and give the monkey some. The picture of a clown and a monkey being handed gum is a funny one, and it is the part children tend to remember. In each verse the second and last lines rhyme (tie with by, gum with some), and the short middle pair rhymes too (there and stare, down and clown).
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson published this rhyme in 1918, in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes.
Learning Activities
- Pretend parade: march round the room with a pot and a wooden spoon for a drum, then stop and say the poem.
- Best seat: let the child sit on a low step or sofa arm with a grown-up beside them and watch a pretend band go by.
- Share the treat: hand out pretend sweets to toy animals, giving the monkey some.
- Dress-up: choose a best tie or scarf for the occasion and make a clown hat from paper.