Wooley Foster Has Gone to Sea Lyrics
Three short verses about Wooley Foster: he has gone to sea with silver buckles at his knee, his cow must be let through the gate, and his hen lays eggs for everyone but him.
Wooley Foster Has Gone to Sea
Wooley Foster has gone to sea,
With silver buckles at his knee,
When he comes back he'll marry me,
Bonny Wooley Foster!
Wooley Foster has a cow,
Black and white about the mow,
Open the gates and let her through,
Wooley Foster's ain cow!
Wooley Foster has a hen,
Cockle button, cockle ben,
She lay eggs for gentlemen,
But none for Wooley Foster!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/wooley-foster-has-gone-to-sea/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Chanted with a lilt, the last line of each verse calling out the name
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Wooley Foster has gone to sea | Wave goodbye, then shade the eyes and look out to sea. |
| Open the gates and let her through | Swing both arms wide like a gate opening. |
| She lay eggs for gentlemen | Tuck the hands under the arms, flap and cluck like a hen. |
| But none for Wooley Foster | Shrug and hold out empty hands. |
What Does Wooley Foster Has Gone to Sea Mean?
Each verse is about one thing that belongs to Wooley Foster, and each ends by calling his name. The first is the man himself, off at sea in smart silver buckles. The singer says the two of them will marry when he comes back, and calls him bonny, an old northern word for handsome or pretty.
The second verse is his cow, black and white, who needs the gates opened so she can pass. It ends with the proud call Wooley Foster's ain cow, where ain means own.
The third verse has the joke. His hen lays eggs, but not for him: she lay eggs for gentlemen, but none for Wooley Foster. The hen is generous to everyone except her owner. The word mow in the second verse and the nonsense words cockle button, cockle ben in the third are not explained anywhere in the book.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in James Orchard Halliwell's collection The Nursery Rhymes of England, first published in 1842. Halliwell gathered the rhymes that were said to children and printed them one by one. This one has three verses of four lines, and each verse ends by calling out Wooley Foster's name. The collection does not say where the rhyme was gathered.
Learning Activities
- Sailor's farewell: wave to a toy ship in the bath or in a bowl and bring it back for the marry-me line.
- Farm gate: make a gate with two chairs and let a toy cow through on the second verse.
- Draw the hen: draw the hen from verse three and add the eggs she lays for the gentlemen.
- Call his name: let the child shout the name at the end of each verse and see how loud it can go.