• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Silly Rhymes.

Good morning Jean,
If I remember correctly, it went like this:

There was a little man, and he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead;
He went to the brook, and saw a little duck,
And shot it right through the head, head, head.

........... but then there's a second verse, which is very similar, but the bullets were made of brass, brass, brass !!! David
 
Another of my old man's ditties:

Gorgonzola Cheese, it made the old man sneeze.
The cat had a fit in the cellar,
The dog died of heart disease.
The chairs began to dance
The piano began to play,
And the picture of our Skinnie Lizzie
Walked out of its frame one day!

I reckon this may have been a very old music-hall song.

Big Gee
 
On the way to Northwood Halt for our Holidays my Unle used to tell us funny rhymes the only one I can remember is
"Whath for thupper muther"
"thoop ma Thun"
"what? Thoop again, I'm thick of thoop
Its always thoop for thupper"

Never heard it anywhere else and though he's still alive he can't remember where he got it.
 
As I was walking down the stairs
I met a man, who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
I do wish he would go away.

(no idea where this comes from but was often recited in our house)
 
or.......

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wuzzn't fuzzy
wuzz he !!
 
hello badger,
The rhyme about the man that wouldn't go away is attributed to Hughes Mearns (1875-1965). db84124
 
db84124 - thanks!


Hi David,


I'd forgotten that gruesome wee rhyme! My father used to delight in reciting it to me when I was a toddler. His other favourite being:

Hark, hark, the dogs do bark
the beggars are coming to town
some in rags and some in tags
and some in silken gowns

Some gave them white bread
and some gave them brown,
and some gave them a good horse-whipping
and drove them from the town!

I used to lie in bed at night terrified; listening for beggars stealing past my window!
No wonder I grew-up weird!
icon9.png
 
Here's another little beauty that used to give me cold sweats; you have to say it slowly, in a steady rhythm and enunciate each word carefully, in a low voice:

''Deep in the garden late at night
squirm creatures dark, and
filled with hate. Creeping here
and slithering there; waiting
waiting waiting waiting WAITING!''

The 'waiting' began as the merest whisper...getting louder each time, until the teller shouts the final 'waiting' and pounces upon the poor recipient!

There's another version about 'things writhing in the well' but I can't remember the words...I reckon I must have 'blanked-it' from my sub-conscious. Mind you, as a 'cautionary tale' it worked - as a child I never went out into the garden late at night; and I didn't mess with no wells either!
 
My father always recited to me while sitting on his lap,....daddys sweetheart, mommys love, and Harveys (my brother) skin and blister, youv'e really got my gray matter going, have'nt thought of that in over 50years...brenda
 
My dad used to sit me on his lap and stick two little bits of paper on two of his fingers. He would say two little dickie birds sitting on a wall one name Peter one named Paul fly away Peter fly away Paul. Jean.
 
It was in the month of Liverpool
In the City of July
When a bare footed man with cloggs on
Went slowly whizzing by
He turned a straight crooked corner
To see a dead donkey die
He pulled out a pistol to stab him
The dead donkey asked him why?
 
Hello all,my nieces grandad told her a rhyme when the teacher in school asked if their was anybody who would like to share a poem or rhyme my niece who was six at the time proudly stood and here is what she said,
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
He called for a light, in the middle of the night
To go to the WC
The moon shone bright on the toilet door
King Cole,he took a fright
Old King Cole fell down the hole
And swallowed a lump of candle wax....
Teacher was not amused poor niece had no idea why
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mary had a little lamb its feet as black as soot, and in to marys bread and jam his sooty foot he put.
 
I always seem to find these good threads after everyone's tired of them!

Just for the record, here are two "silly rhymes" that I remember my maternal Grandfather teaching me when I was very small. Issac Strothers was born in Wolverhampton on 23 August 1886 and died in Gladesville (New South Wales, Australia) on 14 April 1971. He was a respected elder in the Brethren Church, which adds a curious edge to his sense of humour!
Many albums I have seen.
Some are red and some are green.
But in Africa where I've been
Albums are black.​
And this one is sung to the tune of the lovely old hymn:
Shall we gather at the river?
I don't know you'd better ask your mother.
One more question, how's your liver?
Diddle-um-pa-doo-da-day.​
 
It was a dark and stormy night, the wind was howling round our ship.
The captain said to one of his men, I'll tell you a tale, and it goes like this.

It was a dark and stormy night, the wind was howling round our ship.
The captain said to one of his men, I'll tell you a tale, and it goes like this.

It was a dark and stormy night, the wind was howling round our ship.
The captain said to one of his men, I'll tell you a tale, and it goes like this.



and heres a Spike Milligan one;

A baby Rabbit with eyes full of puss,
Thats the work of scientific us.
 
I made myself a snowman as perfect as could be
I thought I'd keep him as a pet and let him sleep with me
I made him some pyjamas and a pillow for his head
Then last night he ran away ... but first he wet my bed!
 
JohnO, I can only repeat my usual adjective to describe your posts ...... brilliant !!!!!

Who remembers this little gem from the 50s?

I'm Popeye the Sailorman,
I come from the Isle of Man;
There's a hole in the middle for Popeye to piddle.
I'm Popeye the Sailorman. Peep! Peep!

Also from the mid-1950s is my first horrific memory of seeing what Spike Milligan was referring to in col h's contribution: a baby rabbit with myxamatosis. And to think it was deliberately given to two rabbits in France and consequently illegally imported onto an estate in West Sussex, and hence wiped out 95% of the UK's coneys.
 
Hey diddle diddle, the cat had a piddle
behind the kitchen door
the little dog laughed to see such fun
so the cat did a little bit more!
 
[SIZE=+2]The Guppy [/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]by Ogden Nash [/SIZE]

Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.
 
This might ring a bell with somebody.

What rhyme ended with the line " and up popped a copper with his shirt hanging out" ?
 
I've enjoyed reading and laughing at these rhymes, Fatfingers I can only remember the bit you've quoted, its driving me mad trying to remember.
 
Dek, - I know this is an old posting, but it's the first time I have looked on this thread.

The one my husband used to say (not when he was a child, I hasten to add) went - every time the lamb got out, the bulldog used to put it back again.

Still makes me smile

shortie
 
David, those are not runcible spoons, they are cake forks. Stops you getting sticky fingers.

Shortie
 
Back
Top