A classic Mother Goose tune. A Mother Goose song that’s popular with children.
We’d like to introduce Mother Goose, a collection of English nursery rhymes that are especially beloved and passed down in the UK and the United States!
Mother Goose is said to include anywhere from 600 to over 1,000 rhymes, such as riddles, lullabies, play songs, tongue twisters, and memory songs.
In this article, we’ve gathered some of the most iconic and child-popular rhymes from Mother Goose.
When you listen, you’ll likely find many you already know, and because they’ve been sung for generations, they can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Some of these songs are a fun way to spark your child’s interest in English, so be sure to enjoy them together as a parent and child, with family, or with friends!
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Classic Mother Goose songs. Popular Mother Goose songs for children (11–20)
Hot Crossed Buns
This is a very simple and heartwarming Mother Goose rhyme about the hot cross buns eaten around Easter.
It’s based on the street cries of vendors who used to sell bread on the corners, and the lyrics—announcing the price in a lively voice and offering the buns to a daughter, or to a son if there’s no daughter—convey the bustling scenes of the time and people’s gentle affection.
Since it was published in the 1798 booklet “Christmas Box,” it has long been loved.
With a melody playable using only three notes, it’s famous worldwide as a first practice piece for the recorder or piano.
It’s perfect for rhythm play and introducing instruments, so why not enjoy the arrival of spring by making music together as a family?
Are you Sleeping
Isn’t this song one of the most famous rounds in the world? It’s based on a French nursery rhyme and has long been loved in English-speaking countries as well.
The lyrics depict people calling out to “John,” who is still asleep, telling him that the morning bells are ringing.
The melody is simple, but its greatest charm is the beautiful harmony that emerges when you sing it as a round.
In fact, this tune is said to have first appeared in a song collection published in Paris in 1811, making it a melody with a long history.
It has been cherished across genres—Gustav Mahler incorporated it into a symphony, and the Beatles quoted it in the chorus of “Paperback Writer.” Try layering your voices with family and friends and enjoy singing it as a round!
Cobbler Cobbler, mend my shoe
This is a simple and charming Mother Goose nursery rhyme about asking a cobbler to repair a treasured pair of shoes.
In the lyrics, a child urges the craftsman to finish by two-thirty, specifying the time, and promises to pay if the shoes are properly mended.
Although the exact author is unknown, the song has a long history and was already popular in Britain and the United States from the 18th to 19th centuries.
It’s also useful in educational settings because it helps children learn how to tell time and practice numbers.
You can even play it as a game by passing shoes to the rhythm, making it perfect for lively fun with friends and family.
This piece fosters a love of taking care of one’s belongings, too—so try singing it together with your child while keeping the beat!
Cock-A-Doodle-Do
This is one of the liveliest Mother Goose songs, beginning with the crow of a spirited rooster.
In the lyrics, the house descends into chaos as the wife loses her shoe and the husband misplaces his fiddle bow, all to the rhythm of the cock’s crow.
Despite the troubles, there’s a humorous tone that makes it simply fun to listen to.
The piece has been beloved for a long time and was already included in the nursery rhyme collection Mother Goose’s Melody around 1765.
The phrase has become so familiar that it’s even been quoted in works for adults, such as an episode title of the drama Sex and the City.
The rhythm of the English onomatopoeia is pleasing to the ear, and it might be a great song to sing with your child as a morning wake-up tune.
Goosey, Goosey, Gander
This is a lively Mother Goose piece that begins with a call to the geese and features a catchy melody.
The lyrics describe going up and down the stairs, and it’s loved as a play song that you can enjoy while moving your body.
At first glance it seems cheerful, but it’s said that the lyrics actually hide satire about historical religious conflicts, giving the song a slightly mysterious background.
First included, it is said, in a nursery rhyme collection published in 1784, this venerable piece has been covered by numerous singers and educational programs, and is a standard in the English-speaking world.
You’ll also often hear it as insert music in animations and documentaries themed on Mother Goose.
Its rhythmic wordplay makes it perfect for enjoying English sounds, so be sure to sing and dance along with your child!
Bingo
Many of you are probably familiar with this song.
Because the lyrics are repetitive and it includes hand motions, it’s an easy, fun favorite for children to sing! When playing with this song, each time you repeat the lyrics, you remove one letter from the word “BINGO” starting from the beginning and replace that part with a clap.
In other words, by the end, the entire “BINGO” part is clapped.
Singing it is fun on its own, but clapping together energetically really gets everyone excited!
Classic Mother Goose songs. Popular Mother Goose songs for children (21–30)
My Mother Has Killed Me
Some Mother Goose songs occasionally contain shockingly gruesome content, and this is one of that type.
Taken literally it’s horror, but perhaps it’s a cautionary tale warning that children who don’t listen to their parents will meet such a fate.
Or maybe the child isn’t actually eaten; instead, it suggests that the parents, as if killing the child, have robbed them of their freedom.
Precisely because it’s so shocking, it invites all kinds of interpretations.
It’s one of the most striking songs in Mother Goose.
