Lesser Known Nursery Rhyme Lyrics Quiz

Answer: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky."

One of the best known nursery rhymes, this is one that many parents sing to their children before bed. The peaceful star watches over us all night long.

Answer: Mary Had a Little Lamb

"Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go."

Unlike many other nursery rhymes, this is supposedly a real story about a young girl with a pet lamb. Sarah Josepha Hale, a teacher in New Hampshire, USA, saw one of her students walking to school with her pet lamb. She wrote a poem about it that was published in a newspaper. From there it became very popular. It was the first recording that Thomas Edison ever recorded, meaning it is the earliest recording in English that we have!

Answer: London Bridge Is Falling Down

"London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady."

While many people say that this rhyme is about London Bridge, it probably isn't. The rhyme came into English from other languages and their songs are about famous bridges in their countries. So probably this is just a case of English people borrowing a fun song from other places and making it our own.

Answer: Ring a Ring o' Roses

"Ring-a-ring o' roses,
A pocket full of posies,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down."

We all know this schoolyard rhyme and many of us have probably played it while holding hands in a circle and then pretending to sneeze and fall down. The lyric I gave you was the only one that didn't have "A-tishoo!" in it.

Answer: The Farmer in the Dell

"The farmer in the dell,
The farmer in the dell,
Heigh-ho, the derry-o,
The farmer in the dell."

Why does a cheese stand? Why is the poor cheese alone? Why does everyone else in the story of this rhyme get a partner? Even the dog takes the cat! I don't know and it seems that no one else does either. It is just a bunch of fun nonsense.

Answer: Sing a Song of Sixpence

"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?"

Once again, we don't know very much about this song. There seems to be so much meaning in it, but no one has ever proved what any of it means. The only thing we are sure of is that the legend that this song was once used to recruit pirates is totally false.

Answer: Yankee Doodle

"Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony,
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni."

Believe it or not, the word "Dude" probably comes from this song. The people who study the origins of words, etymologists, say that the expression "dude" originally meant someone who was from the city, but pretended to be from the country and they trace that meaning back to this song. "Doodle" became "dude" when shortened.

Answer: The Grand Old Duke of York

"Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again."

Though this song sounds like it was a real incident in history that actually happened, in truth we know nothing about the events in this song. We are not even sure who the "Duke of York" is supposed to be.

Answer: Little Bo Peep

"Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn't know where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them."

This is a popular nursery rhyme and has been around for about 500 years. The poor girl lost her sheep and can't find them anywhere. Even at the end of the song, we only see her go off over the hills looking for the sheep she can't find.

Answer: Oranges and Lemons

"Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's."

Almost all of this song talks about the ringing of the church bells around the city of London, England. The end of the rhyme is a bit shocking and people don't really know why it is there, but it could remind you of the farmer's wife in "Three Blind Mice".