Yes or No? Lyrics
Barnaby cannot decide whether to stay or go, and the group is waiting and will be late. In the second verse they urge him to make up his mind, fix on a plan and follow his nose.
Yes or No?
Yes or No?
Stay or Go?
He never can tell, he never will know!
We must not wait,
We'll all be late,
While Barnaby puzzles his queer little pate!
What do you say?
Off and away!
Make up your mind to go or to stay.
Fix on your plan,
Step out like a man,
And follow your nose as fast as you can!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/yes-or-no/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- William Allingham
- Tune
- A quick, tapping rhythm with a short pause after every Yes or No
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Yes or No? | Nod your head on Yes and shake it on No. |
| Off and away! | Swing your arms and march on the spot. |
What Does Yes or No? Mean?
Everyone has stood where Barnaby stands: unable to choose. The first verse puts the problem in a few short lines. Yes or No? Stay or Go? are quick pairs of opposites, and the next lines say that he never can tell and never will know. The group cannot wait, we'll all be late, while he puzzles his queer little pate. A pate is an old word for the head.
The second verse is the group's answer. They tell him to decide, fix on your plan, and go off and away. The last line, follow your nose as fast as you can, means to head straight ahead. The poem does not say where they are going, so a child can fill in the place. It also sounds good out loud, because go and know rhyme, and so do wait and late.
History and Origin
This poem is in William Allingham's Rhymes for the Young Folk, a book of verses for children.
Learning Activities
- Yes or No spots: put a paper Yes on one side of the room and a paper No on the other, ask easy questions and let the child run to one.
- Choosing practice: offer two snacks or two books and see how long it takes the child to pick, with a count of five.
- Rhyme pairs: find the rhyming pairs in the poem: go and know, wait and late.
- Barnaby's walk: act out Barnaby standing still, then marching off when told.