THE
ONE
WITH
THE
WAGGLY TAIL FAVOURITE RHYMES FROM AN IRISH CHILDHOOD
Sarah Webb and Steve McCarthy
First published 2020 by The O’Brien Press Ltd. 12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 HD27, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777 E-mail: books@obrien.ie; Website: www.obrien.ie The O’Brien Press is a member of Publishing Ireland. ISBN 978-1-78849-151-8 Copyright for this collection © Sarah Webb Copyright for illustrations © Steve McCarthy Copyright for layout, editing, design © The O’Brien Press Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any way or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. The author and publisher understand that many of these verses are in the public domain. However, if any infringement has occurred we ask the holder of such copyright to contact the publisher. We wish to credit the following: Warner/Chappell Music Ltd for permission to reproduce ‘How Much is That Doggie in the Window’ by Bob Merrill; Peer Music for permission to reproduce ‘You are my sunshine’ by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell; Spike Milligan Productions for permission to reproduce ‘Today I Saw a Little Worm’ by Spike Milligan; ‘Four Jolly Giants’ and ‘Claire’ by Ashlinn and Larry O’Loughlin are used by permission of the authors; ‘Cats’ by Eleanor Farjeon is used by permission of David Higham Agency; ‘Spiders’ by Pippa Sweeney is used by permission of the author; ‘Brother’ by Mary Ann Hoberman is used by permission of Gina Maccoby Literary Agency Copyright © 1959 by Mary Ann Hoberman; lines from ‘What a View’ by John Montague from New Collected Poems (2012) by kind permission of The Gallery Press and the Estate of John Montague; ‘Clap Hands’ by Lucinda Jacob is used by permission of the author. 987654321 24 23 22 21 20 Printed and bound in Poland by Białostockie Zakłady Graficzne S.A. This book is produced using pulp from managed forests.
Dedication This book is dedicated to my own legends, Sam, Amy-Rose and Jago; my nieces Lucy and Rosie and my cousins Genevieve and Eloise. And also to all the readers of Sally and Sailor who asked for another book – this one’s for you! Acknowledgements I would like to thank my parents, Melissa and Michael, who spent so many hours reading to me as a child; Steve McCarthy for his imagination and talent – his illustrations make this collection sing; my agent, Philippa Milnes-Smith, for her wise council; Eavan Boland for the extract from ‘Legends’; all the poets who contributed poems to this collection for their help and support, especially Lucinda Jacob and Larry O’Loughlin; and Nicola Reddy, Emer Ryan, Emma Byrne and all the team at The O’Brien Press for making this book so much fun to work on. (Sarah Webb) Thank you Poppy, Millie, Damo, Julo, Tinker, Elsie, Riley, Dipper and Noodle; you are all very good boys and girls! (Steve McCarthy) Published in:
c o ntents
Introduction 4
Betty Botter 36
How Much is That Doggie in the Window? 5
Brother 37
Daisy Bell 6
Like This, Like That
38
You Are My Sunshine
7
See you later, alligator
38
Little Red Caboose
8
Way Down South
39
The Runaway Train
9
Curious fly
39
Paddy on the Railway
9
The Wild Swans at Coole
40
Today I Saw a Little Worm
10
Swan swam over the sea
40
Ooey Gooey
10
What a View
41
The Worms Crawl In
11
Do fish ever get seasick?
41
Four Jolly Giants
12
A Swing Song
42
Lakes are big
12
Tree House 43
The Little Elf
13
Trees 43
The Pirate Song
14
Lámh, Lámh Eile
44
B-I-N-G-O
16
See-Saw, Margery Daw
45
Oh Where, Oh Where?
17
See-Saw, Jimmy Brown
45
His Highness’ dog at Kew
17
This Old Man
46
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat
18
Bobby Shaftoe 48
Cats 19
Hey, ho, skippety toe
48
Great A, little a
19
I Saw a Ship A-Sailing
48
It’s a Long Way to Tipperary
20
Miss Polly 50
Danny Boy
21
An apple a day
50
Yankee Doodle went to town
21
Polly Put the Kettle on
51
I Had a Little Nut Tree
22
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
52
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
22
See a pin and pick it up
52
Little Bo-Peep
23
Hokey Cokey 53
Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly
23
Claire 54
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I Caught a Fish Alive
24
Daddy’s in the milk jug
There Was a Little Man
25
Johneen 55
Ten fat sausages
25
One Potato 56
Dem Bones 26
Pat-A-Cake 56
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
28
Clap Hands 57
Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter
29
Hot-cross buns! 57
54
Winter’s thunder 29
There Was a Crooked Man
58
Spiders 30
I’m rubber, you’re glue
58
If you wish to live and thrive
30
Tin Can Dan 59
The Spider and the Fly
31
Ten in a Bed
60
Rain 32
Moses supposes 60
Rain on the rooftops
32
Night, Night 61
The Grand Old Duke of York
33
Connemara Cradle Song
62
Mammy Caught a Flea
34
Goodnight, sleep tight
62
Tarzan of the Apes
34
The Ballad of Downal Baun
63
Happy Birthday 35
A Cradle Song
64
Introduction Rhymes and songs are part of every family’s history. They help create the story of who we are and where we are from. Hearing nursery rhymes and songs as adults can take us straight back to our own childhoods. Perhaps our parents or grandparents sang ‘Danny Boy’ to lull us to sleep, or popped us on their lap and marched us up and down to ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’. Reading to a child is one of the greatest gifts you can give them – they may not remember the words, but they will remember how it made them feel, snuggled up against you, sharing something precious and magical. Perhaps the child on your knee will go on to share some of these rhymes with other children in the future, passing on the magic to the next generation. I would like to pay tribute to Steve McCarthy, who has an extraordinary gift – his illustrations make the rhymes in this collection come alive. I wish you all happy rhyming! Sarah Webb Legends (for Eavan Frances) (extract) Eavan Boland Our children are our legends. You are mine. You have my name. My hair was once like yours. And the world is less bitter to me because you will re-tell the story. Before she died, Eavan kindly gave us permission to reproduce the lines from ‘Legends’ in this collection. One of Ireland’s greatest poets, she will never be forgotten.
4
How Much is That Doggie in the Window? Bob Merrill How much is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggly tail. How much is that doggie in the window? I do hope that doggie’s for sale.
5
Daisy Bell Harry Dacre Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer, do! I’m half crazy, All for the love of you! It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage, But you’ll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two!
6
You Are My Sunshine Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell You are my sunshine, My only sunshine. You make me happy When skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, How much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.
7
Little Red Caboose Little red caboose, chug, chug, chug! Little red caboose, chug, chug, chug! Little red caboose behind the train, train, train, train. Smokestack’s on his back, back, back, back, Comin’ around the track, track, track, track, Little red caboose behind the train. Woooooo! Woooooo!
8
The Runaway Train Vernon Dalhart The runaway train came down the track and she blew, she blew, The runaway train came down the track and she blew, she blew, The runaway train came down the track Her whistle wide and her throttle back And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew!
Paddy on the Railway Paddy on the railway picking up stones, Along came an engine and broke Paddy’s bones. ‘Oh!’ said Paddy. ‘That’s not fair.’ ‘Oh!’ said the engine driver. ‘I don’t care.’
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