Upon the Irish Sea Lyrics
Maria Ann has been told, and tells the speaker, that kittens ride in coffee cans on the Irish Sea. It sounds jolly in quiet caves and rolling waves, but the last verse asks how a kitten in a can would like it when it snows and blows.
Upon the Irish Sea
Some one told Maria Ann,
Maria Ann told me,
That kittens ride in coffee cans
Upon the Irish Sea.
From quiet caves to rolling waves,
How jolly it must be
To travel in a coffee can
Upon the Irish Sea!
But when it snows and when it blows,
How would you like to be
A kitten in a coffee can
Upon the Irish Sea?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/upon-the-irish-sea/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- A gentle rocking tune, like a boat on small waves, rising on the last line of each verse
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| From quiet caves to rolling waves, | Rock your hand up and down like a wave. |
| A kitten in a coffee can | Make a can shape with a curled hand, then pretend to hold a kitten. |
What Does Upon the Irish Sea Mean?
The poem starts like a piece of gossip: some one told Maria Ann, who told the speaker, that kittens travel in coffee cans on the Irish Sea. The Irish Sea is a real sea between Ireland and Great Britain, but the kittens in tin cans are pure nonsense. That is the joke. The first verse says it, the second paints it as a jolly trip from quiet caves to rolling waves, and each verse closes on the same words, upon the Irish Sea.
The last verse turns into a question. When it snows and blows, how would you like to be a kitten in a coffee can? It is a silly worry made to sound serious, and it invites a child to answer. It is pleasant to say aloud: Ann rhymes with can, and be, me and sea rhyme together.
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson's rhyme book of 1918 held new verses by Jackson himself, and this is one of them.
Learning Activities
- Tin boats: float a clean, empty tin in a bath or washing-up bowl, with a soft toy kitten sitting on the rim, and make small waves.
- Map it: find the Irish Sea on a map or globe together.
- Odd passengers: ask what else could ride in a can on the sea, and draw it.
- Pass it on: whisper the first line round a circle and see how it changes, as in the rhyme's chain of telling.