Looking for a Mother Goose nursery rhymes list, with a twist? Our list has a little EDGE, for artistic parents wanting a refreshing look on the classic nursery rhyme favorites.
Remember the one about the space cow who heads to the moon? Or, how a spout is really hazardous place for an arachnid?
Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. Every fiddler he had a fiddle, And a very fine fiddle had he; Oh there’s none so rare, as can compare, With King Cole and his fiddlers three.
Hey Diddle Diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed, To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town, Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown, Tapping at the window, crying at the lock, Are the children in their bed, for it’s past ten o’clock?
Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds, Baked in a pie. When the pie was opened The birds began to sing; Wasn’t that a dainty dish, To set before the king.
A sheep gives up his fleece to appease many patrons.
Baa, baa, black sheep, Have you any wool? Yes, sir, yes, sir, Three bags full; One for the master, And one for the dame, And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane.
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
This pig visits a market, while the other pigs do not.
This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none, And this little piggy cried “wee wee wee” all the way home.
A single mom, living inside footwear, is overrun by kids.
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do; She gave them some broth without any bread; Then kissed them all soundly and put them to bed.
I see the moon, the moon sees me, God bless the moon and God bless me: There’s grace in the cottage and grace in the hall; And the grace of God is over us all.
Three Blind Mice
Fleeing rodents, lacking visual competency, lose their tails.
Three blind mice. Three blind mice. See how they run. See how they run. They all ran after the farmer’s wife, Who cut off their tails with a carving knife, Did you ever see such a sight in your life, As three blind mice?
Star Light, Star Bright
Artwork: Nathalie Jomard
A celestial object takes requests.
Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight.
Who Was Mother Goose?
Mother Goose wasn’t a real person. She was a fictional author whose name first appeared in 1695 Tales of My Mother Goose by Charles Perrault, in a collection of fairy tales, not nursery rhymes.
For more nursery rhyme fun, The Truth About Mother Goose is a little-known Disney short-film from 1957 where a trio of jazz singers croon about the history of three classic Mother Goose nursery rhymes.
