Children's Songs

Here are a selection of children's songs and nursery rhymes from Scotland. They've all been sung up and down the country for many years both in the playground and the house. It is possible you will recognise many of them from your own childhood. This selection of children's songs was taken from a thread on our forum entitled Scots song for children - feel free to ask any questions on it. We have a couple of great resources for children's songs. Check out Ewan McVicar's book Doh Ray Me, When Ah Wis Wees and the School of Scottish Studies CD Chokit on a Tattie - Children's Songs and Rhymes. We would also recommend the CD Bairn's Kist, a project to encourage mothers, fathers, grannies and other carers of young children to sing to their children.You can see them and more in our children's music section. If you just want to sing visit our Scottish Songs section. Feel free to print this guide as there is nothing better than hearing children sing.

Wee Chookie Birdie
Wee Chookie Birdie Toe loe loe
Laid an egg on the windae so
The windae so began tae crack
n wee chookie birdie never came back

1,2,3 - a Leerie
1,2,3 - a Leerie
I saw Mrs. Meerie
Sittin on her bumbaleerie
Kissin' Yogi Bear

Mrs Wright
Mrs Wright
Got a fright
In the middle of the night
She saw a ghost
Eatin' toast
Halfway up a lamppost (tune: nick nack paddywack)

O, the broon coo
O, the broon coo's broken oot an eaten a' the hay
O, the broon coo's broken oot an eaten a' the hay
O, the broon coo's broken oot an eaten a' the hay
huy huy huy huy huy huy huy !!

Crivens Jings Help Ma Boab - Chorus:
Crivens Jings Help Ma Boab
He cries when he's in trouble,
When knocking off Old Murdoch's hat,
He runs away at the double.
Doon his dungarees he hides his old and trusty catty,
Chasin the scent of his favourite tea...his Ma's mince and tatties.

2nd verse
Along with his pals, Oor Wullie will play,
Fat Boab, Wee Eck Soapy Souter,
They fish and play fitba and scrap and plunk school,
And Wullie ends up wi a keeker,
Then its back to his hoose, with his friendly wee pet,
Not a dog not a cat or canary,
And he tries to sneak him to bed and night,
His moose he calls his 'wee jeemie'... Chorus

3rd Verse
At the end of the day, Oor Wullie will tell,
Of the tricks and the games and the fun,
As he sits on his bucket his favourite seat - he winks as he gives a wee grin,
So now lets reflect on the years that's gone bye, since our pal first appeared on a Sunday,
And the happiness brought to our people since then,
Whether there're nine or there're ninety... Chorus etc etc END

Jean McPherson
Jean McPherson wis a person wi' lovely yella hair
We went thegither, doon the watter, last Glasga Fair
The rain, it did come doon in torrents, her hair she couldnae keep dry,
An' a' the day the streaks o' grey kept comin' through the dye.

Three Craws
Three craws sat upon a wa',
Sat upon a wa', sat upon a wa',
Three craws sat upon a wa',
On a cauld and frosty mornin'.
The first craw was greetin' for his maw,
Greetin' for his maw, greetin' for his maw,
The first craw was greetin' for his maw,
On a cauld and frosty mornin'.

The second craw fell and broke his jaw,
Fell and broke his jaw, fell and broke his jaw,
The second craw fell and broke his jaw,
On a cauld and frosty mornin'.

The third craw, couldnae caw at a',
Couldnae caw at a', couldnae caw at a',
The third craw, couldnae caw at a',
On a cauld and frosty mornin'.

An that's a', absolutely a',
Absolutely a', absolutely a',
An that's a', absolutely a',
On a cauld and frosty mornin'.

Meaning of unusual words:
craws=crows
wa'=wall
cauld=cold
maw=mother
Coulters Candy

Ally, bally
Ally, bally, ally bally bee,
Sittin' on yer mammy's knee
Greetin' for anither bawbee,
Tae buy mair Coulter's candy.

Ally. bally, ally, bally bee,
When you grow up you'll go to sea,
Makin' pennies for your daddy and me,
Tae buy mair Coulter's Candy.

Mammy gie me ma thrifty doon
Here's auld Coulter comin' roon
Wi' a basket on his croon
Selling Coulter's Candy.

Little Annie's greetin' tae
Sae whit can puir wee Mammy dae
But gie them a penny atween them twae
Tae buy mair Coulter's Candy.

Poor wee Jeannie's lookin' affa thin,
A rickle o' banes covered ower wi' skin,
Noo she's gettin' a double chin
Wi' sookin' Coulter's Candy.

Meaning of unusual words:
bawbee=Once a silver six penny coin, in the days of Scottish coinage, now only a half-pennny.
rickle=heap

Katie Beardie
Katie Beardie had a coo
Black and white aboot the mou'
Wasnae that a dainty coo?
Dance, Katie Beardie.

Katie Beardie had a hen,
Cackled but and cackled ben.
Wasnae that a dainty hen?
Dance, Katie Beardie.

Katie Beardie had a wean
Widnae play oot in the rain.
Wasnae that a dainty wean?
Dance, Katle Beardie.

Katie Beardie had a cat,
Sleek and sly and unco fat.
Wasnae that a dainty cat?
Dance, Katie Beardie.

Meaning of unusual words:
but and ben=two roomed house
wean=young child
Ye Canna Shove Yer Grannie

Oh ye cannae shove yer grannie aff the bus
Oh ye cannae shove yer grannie aff the bus,
Oh ye cannae shove yer grannie aff the bus,
Ye cannae shove yer grannie
For she's yer mammie's mammie,
Ye canna shove yer grannie aff the bus.

Ye can shove yer ither Granny aff a bus.
Ye can shove yer ither Granny aff a bus.
Ye can shove yer ither Granny
'Cos she's yer Faither's Mammy
Ye can shove yer ither Granny aff a bus.

Ye can shove yer Uncle Wullie aff a bus.
Ye can shove yer Uncle Wullie affa bus.
Uncle Wullie's like yer Faither
A harum-scarum blether,
Ye can shove yer Uncle Wullie aff a bus.

Ye can shove yer Auntie Maggie aff a bus.
Ye can shove Auntie Maggie aff a bus.
Auntie Meg's yer Faither's sister,
She's naethin' but a twister,
Ye can shove yer Auntie Maggie aff a bus.

But ye canna shove yer Granny aff a bus.
O ye canna shove yer Granny aff a bus.
O ye canna shove yer Granny,
'Cos she's yer Mammy's Mammy,
O ye canna shove yer Granny aff a bus.

Singing I will
Singing I will if you will, so will I;

Singing I will if you will, so will I;

Singing I will if you will,

I will if you will,

I will if you will, so will I.

Dance Tae Yer Daddy
Dance tae yer daddy,
Ma bonnie laddie,
Dance tae yer daddy, ma bonnie lamb!
An ye'll get a fishie
In a little dishie,
Ye'll get a fishie, whan the boat comes hame.
Dance tae yer daddy,
Ma bonnie laddie,
Dance tae yer daddy, ma bonnie lamb!
An ye'll get a coatie,
An a pair o' breekies,
Ye'll get a whippie, an a soople Tam.

Meaning of unusual words:
coatie=coat (though it can be a child's petticoat)
breekies=underpants
whippie=rope of twisted straw

I'm a skyscraper wean
I'm a skyscraper wean I live on the nineteenth flair;
But I'm no' gaun oot tae play ony mair,
'Cause since we moved tae Castlemilk, I'm wastin' away
'Cause I'm gettin' wan meal less every day.

Refrain:
Oh ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty storey flat,
Seven hundred hungry weans'll testify, to that.
If it's butter, cheese or jeely, if the breid is plain or pan,
The odds against it reaching earth are ninety-nine tae wan.

On the first day ma maw flung oot a daud o' Hovis broon;
It came skytin' oot the windae and went up insteid o' doon.
Noo every twenty-seven hoors it comes back intae sight
'Cause ma piece went intae orbit and became a satellite.

On the second day ma maw flung me a piece oot wance again.
It went and hut the pilot in a fast low-flying plane.
He scraped it aff his goggles, shouting through the intercom,
'The Clydeside Reds huv giat me wi' a breid-an-jeely bomb'.

On the third day ma maw thought she would try another throw.
The Salvation Army band was staundin' doon below.
'Onward, Christian Soldiers' was the piece they should've played,
But the oompah man was playing a piece an' marmalade.

We're wrote away to Oxfam to try an' get some aid,
An' a' the weans in Castlemilk have formed a 'piece brigade'.
We're gonnae march to George's Square demanding civil rights
Like nae mair hooses over piece-flinging height.

Last night
Last night there was a murder in a fish shop
A wee dug stole a haddie bone
A big dug tried tae take it aff her
So ah hit it wi' a tattie scone

The wee dug ran tae tell its mammy,
It's mammy wisnae in,
It took a look through the window,
An' this it what it seen:

Her false teeth were lying on the table,
Her curly wig was lying on the bed
And she was sitting in the old armchair
Screwing aff her widden leg. [as sung by Dorothy Bell, Hamilton]

Eh'll tell the boaby
Eh'll tell the boaby,
Eh'll tell the boaby,
Eh'll tell the boaby,
If ye lay a hand on me.

Sixty days in the clink shop,
Sixty days in the clink shop,
Sixty days in the clink shop,
If ye lay a hand on me.

Muggie fell doon the mill dam
Muggie fell doon the mill dam,
Doon the mill dam fell muggie;
Muggie fell doon the mill dam,
And doon the mill dam fell muggie.

Johnny the barber
Johnny the barber shaved his father
Wi' a roosty razzor;
The razzor broke an' cut his throat,
Hurray for Johnny the barber!

There's a mannie in yer loaby Mary Ann
There's a mannie in yer loaby Mary Ann
There's a mannie in yer loaby Mary Ann
There's a mannie in yer loaby,
Ye'd better get the boaby,
There's a mannie in yer loaby Mary Ann

I like coffee
I like coffee, I like tea,
I like the boys and the boys like me;
I like to touch the ground,
I like to twirl around,
I like to play at...

One, two, three, a-learie
One, two, three, a-learie,
I saw Mrs Beerie
Sittin on a bumbaleerie
Eatin' chocolate sodgers.

Eh'm goin awa' on the train
Eh'm goin awa' on the train,
You're no comin' wi' me;
Eh've got a lad o' ma ain,
An' his name is guilty Jeemy.

He wears a tartan kilt,
He wears it in the fashion,
An' every time he turns aroon'
I canna help fae laughin'

Eh'll awa hame
Eh'll awa hame tae my mother ah wull,
Eh'll awa hame tae my mother ah wull,
She keeps a wee hoose at the tap o' the hull
An' sells a wee drappie at tuppence a gill.

Eh'll no' bide wi' my granny nae mair,
Eh'll no' bide wi' my granny nae mair,
She skelps ma ja' an' she pu's ma hair,
Eh'll no' bide wi' my granny nae mair,

Five, ten, fifteen, twenty
Five, ten, fifteen, twenty,
Time! Comin' ready or not!

Meh lad's a terry
Meh lad's a terry, meh lad's a toff,
Meh lad can wear a hat,
Your lad can swank like that;
He says he loves me,
I know he does,
Meh lad's a terry toff.

Wha wad like tae be a boaby
Wha wad like tae be a boaby,
Dressed in boaby's claes?
Wi' a sugarelly hat
And a belly fu' o' fat
And a tuppenny mealie pudding for a nose.

Vote, vote, vote for Neddy Scrimgeor
Vote, vote, vote for Neddy Scrimgeor,
He's the man tae gi' ye ham an' eggs;
If ye dinna vote for him,
He will bash yer windaes in,
An' ye'll niver see yer windaes any mair.

Eenity feenity, fickety feg
Eenity feenity, fickety feg,
Ell, dell, dominell;
Irky birky starry rock,
An, tan, two's Jock.
Jock oot, Jock in,
Jock jumped ower the heckle pin.
Jock a-mell, a-mell a-mower,
Ain twa, three, fower!

One fine day
One fine day, a bonnie bonnie day,
I met my Auntie Mary;
She gied me a penny,
Tae buy whit I liked,
So I bocht a wee canary.
The wee canary flew awa'
Auntie Mary caught it;
She caught it by the tail
An' flung it in a pail,
Cheeky Auntie Mary.

My mother said that I must go
My mother said that I must go,
Wi ma faither's denner-o;
Chappit tatties, beef and steak,
Twa reed herrin an' a bawbee bake.

I went to the river an' a couldn't get across,
I paid ten pound for an auld dun horse.
I jumped on his back an' his banes gied a crack,
An' I had tae play the fiddle till the boat came back.

Come up an' see my garret
Come up an' see my garret,
Come up an' see my garret,
Come up an' see my garret,
It's a' furnished noo.

A broken cup an' saucer,
A chair wi'oot a leg,
A humphy-backit dresser
And an auld iron bed.

Eh'll tell the boaby
Eh'll tell the boaby,
Eh'll tell the boaby,
Eh'll tell the boaby,
If ye lay a hand on me...

Hey Jock ma Cuddy
Hey Jock ma Cuddy
My Cuddy's ower the dyke
An if ye touch ma cuddy
My cuddy'll gie ye a bite

Who's yowes are these?
Who's yowes are these?
Who's yowes are these?
They're a' jackie Corns Ah can tell em by their horns
An ah foond em in the meenisters gairden.

Wha shaved the barber
Wha shaved the barber, the barber, the barber
Wha shaved the barber? The barber shaved himsel' (to the tune 'The Keel Row')

One two three a leerie
One two three a leerie
I saw Kate McLearie
Sittin on her bumbaleerie
Eatin Fry's choclit

Mah brother Bill's a Fireman bold
Mah brother Bill's a Fireman bold
He pits oot fires
He's only twenty-fower years old
He pits oot fires
He went tae fight a fire wan night
And somebodey shouted "Dynamite"
Whaurever he is he'll be a'right
He pits oot fires.

Mah Granny went doon tae the cellar

Mah Granny went doon tae the cellar
Tae see whaur the gas leak might be
She struck up a match tae see better
Oh bring back mah Granny tae me, tae me
Oh bring back mah Granny tae me.

Bring back, bring back
Bring back mah Granny tae me, tae me (x2)

Wan night as I lay on my pillow
Wan night as ah lay oan mah bed
Ah stuck mah feet oot o' the windae
Next mornin' the neighbours were dead

Bring back, bring back
Bring back mah neighbours tae me, tae me (x2) (To the tune "My Bonny Lies Over The Ocean")

Oh mah Granny's in the cellar
Oh mah Granny's in the cellar
Ahm surprised ye cannae smell her
Bakin' biscuits on her manky dirty stove
In her eye there is some mattter
It keeps drippin in the batter
And she whistles as the (sniff) rins doon her nose

Gie me that home cookin', home cookin'
Gie me the auld home cookin' every time.

There is a happy land
There is a happy land
Doon in Duke Street Jail
Where a' the prisoners stand
Tied tae a nail
Ham an eggs, they never see
Durty watter fur their tea
There they stand in misery
God Save The Queen!

Ah sent her fur cheese
Ah sent her fur cheese oh then, oh then.*
Ah sent her fur cheese, oh then.
Ah sent her fur cheese,
And she fell an skint her knrees
Oh the world must be comin tae an end.
Oh Aye. (some versions have "Oh aye!")

Ah sent her fur eggs, oh then, oh then.*
Ah sent her fur eggs, oh then.
Ah sent her fur eggs,
And she fell an broke her legs
Oh the world must be comin tae an end.
Oh Aye.

Ah sent her fur breid, oh then, oh then.*
Ah sent her fur breid, oh then.
Ah sent her fur breid,
And she fell doon deid
Oh the world must be comin tae an end.
Oh Aye.

Ane , twa, three
Ane , twa, three
Meh granny caught a flea
She sahtted it an peppert it
An hid it fir her tea.
Meh granny didnae like it
She gied it tae her son
Her son didnae like it
He threw it up the lum
The lum gied a crack
The hoose gied a shak
An doon cam grannie wi her shuft a black!

My uncle Tam
My uncle Tam fae Glasgow cam
Along wae my Aunty Jenny
He put his hawn in his pooch and
brought oot a bran new penny
I went doon to the wee sweetie shop
and bought a stick o candy
when i cam back wee O'Hara said
Gies a sook o your rock and i'll gie you a hurl in ma barra
tho the bonny wee barra's mine
it disnae belong to wee O'Hara
the fly wee bloke, he stuck to my rock
so im gonnae stick tae ma barra

Dan Dan the funny wee man
Dan Dan the funny wee man
washed his face in the frying pan
combed his hair wae the leg of a chair
Dan Dan the funny wee man

Ma da's the lord mayor of london
Ma da's the lord mayor of london,
He cleans the lavies at night,
And when he comes home in the morning,
His boots are all covered in..

(Chorus)
Shine up your buttons wi brassal,
Its only tuppins a tin,
You get it fae wollies for nothin,
Provided theres nobody in.

Some say he died of a fever,
Some say he died of a fright,
But only me and ma ma know,
That he died in the need of a.... (chorus)

Shine up your buttons wi brassal,
Its only tuppins a tin,
You get it fae wollies for nothin,
Provided theres nobody in.

My eyes are dim i can not see
My eyes are dim i can not see,
I have not brought my specs with me,
I left them in the lavatry. (Chorus)

There were eggs, eggs that gae ya bandy legs,
in the store, in the store,
There were eggs, eggs that gae ya bandy legs,
In the quater masters store. (chorus)

There were chips, chips as big as battle ships,
In the store, in the store,
There were chips, chips as big as battle ships,
In the quater masters store. (chorus)

There was gravy, gravy enough to sink the navy,
In the store, in the store
There was gravy, gravy enough to sink the navy,
In the quater masters store. (chorus)

There was beer, beer that gav ya diarhea
In the store, in the store
There was beer, beer that gav ya diarhea
In the quater masters store (chorus)

There were pies, pies that gave ya loopie eyes
In the store, in the store
There were pies, pies that gave ya loopie eyes
In the quater masters store (chorus)

Come on and join
Come on and join, Come on and join,
Come on and join Balesha's army,
Ten bob a week, nothing to eat,
Big fat eary wigs climbing in yar ears

Come on and join, come on and join,
Come on and join Balesha's army,
Sitting in the grass, Polishing yar brass,
Big fat blisters covering yar feet.

Come on and join, come on and join,
Come on and join Balesha's army,
It it wasnt for the war we'd have got out before ya, balesha your balmy

Betty bought a bit o butter
Betty bought a bit o butter,
But found da butter bitter,
So betty bought a bit o betta butter,
To make the bitter butter betta

One fine day in the middle of the night
One fine day in the middle of the night
Three wise monkeys came about
One had a trumpet
One had a drum
And one had a pancake stuck to it's bum

Not last night but the night before
Not last night but the night before
24 robbers came a knocking at my door
As I rushed out (run out of rope)
they rushed in (run back in other side)
and this is what they said
Ballerina, ballerina turn around (spin round)
Ballerina, Ballerina touch the ground (touch ground)
Ballerina Ballerina do the high kick (big kick)
Ballerina Ballerina do the splits (stop rope with one foot on either side) (a skipping song)

Sugerolly wat-er as black as the lum
Sugerolly wat-er as black as the lum
Gaither up preens an ye'll aa get some

Kiltie Mary hid a canary
Kiltie Mary hid a canary
Up the leg o her drahers
She pult the string
Tae mak it sing
An doon come Sandy Clahs

As eh gaed up a field o neeps
As eh gaed up a field o neeps
A wasp ran up the leg o meh breeks
An it didnae come doon for weeks an weeks
At the Muckin o Geordie's Byre