Wynken, Blynken, and Nod Lyrics
Three little fishermen sail a wooden shoe across a sea of dew to catch herring fish that turn out to be stars, and the last verse tells who they really are.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe,
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea,
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam,
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea,
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/wynken-blynken-and-nod/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Lullabies
- Written by
- Eugene Field
- Tune
- Read aloud slowly, or sung to a soft lullaby tune
- Best for ages
- 2 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Sailed off in a wooden shoe | Cup both hands together like a little boat and rock it. |
| Nets of silver and gold have we | Throw an imaginary net up toward the ceiling. |
| Wynken, Blynken, and Nod | Touch one eye, then the other eye, then nod your head. |
What Does Wynken, Blynken, and Nod Mean?
The poem is a bedtime story told in rhyme. Three fishermen set out in a wooden shoe on a river of light, ask the old moon where to go, and spend the night fishing in a sea of dew. The fish they catch are the little stars. Afeard is an old word for afraid, and a trundle-bed is a low bed that can be rolled under a bigger one.
The last verse gives away the trick: Wynken and Blynken are a child's two eyes, Nod is the head, and the wooden shoe is the small bed. The whole voyage is the child drifting off to sleep, which is why the lines get slower and softer as the poem goes on.
History and Origin
The poem was written by Eugene Field and is printed in his book Poems of Childhood, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in New York in 1904. The book gathers poems that Field wrote for children, including other bedtime pieces such as The Rock-a-By Lady and Croodlin Doo, which are also on this site.
Because it has a named author, it is a poem rather than a folk rhyme. It is made to be read aloud by a parent, and the repeated names at the end of each verse are easy for a small child to say along with you.
Learning Activities
- Paper boat: fold a small paper boat or cut a shoe shape from card and sail it on a blue cloth sea.
- Star fishing: hang paper stars from a stick on a string and let children catch them with a net.
- Last verse game: read the final verse and ask which part of the body each name stands for.
- Quiet voice: say each verse a little softer than the one before.