A Second Childhood

        My work sked has been out of whack lately but despite this toxic lifestyle, I find myself unconsciously whistling or singing to myself my favorite nursery rhyme (which should be obvious to some of you now if you've been reading some of my earlier posts).  This song has gone around in a full circle and has caught up with me a few years back, making a serendipitic impact on my life's direction and is partly the reason for the "Pepperstripe" handle that I so often use.  But talking about this will entail a dedicated blog post, perhaps when I get to have more time to write about it.

        For now, I'll be having some fun recalling my favorite nursery rhymes.  Feel free to sing along if you want to. 

        Enjoy and have fun!

 

Fly, Fly, Fly

Fly, fly, fly, the butterfly
In the garden is flying high
In the meadow is flying low
Fly, fly, fly the butterfly

(This is probably the very first song that I mastered as a child.  I even have my very own recording of me singing the song off-key, hehehe)

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
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are

(When I was a child, i loved looking at the sky at night and trying to count all the stars in the sky.  I could only count up to twenty then, so when I reach twenty, I would count twenty, twenty, twenty, twenty, twenty, twenty, twenty...)

Row, Row, Row your Boat

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream

(When I was bored, I would sing this song over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over......)

London Bridge is Falling Down

London bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London bridge is falling down
My fair lady

(Hmmm... this song might be banned in the UK following the UK bombings.  The terrorists might just get the "hint" if they hear this song)

Pussycat, Pussycat

Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the queen
Pussycat, pussycat, what did you do there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair

(I used to think that mice were afraid of cats until I saw a RAT that's bigger than the cat.  The cat got scared and ran away)

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after

(Another favorite song of mine, only to discover later in that it had sexual connotations.  Thus this song is my very first "dirty" song)

I'm a Little Teapot

I'm a little teapot short and stout
This is my handle and this is my spout
When the water's boiling hear me SHOUT
Lift me up and pout me down

(When we would get to the word "shout", my classmates and I would SHOUT at the top of our voices, prompting the teacher in the adjoining classroom to knock on our wall)

 

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.

(Humpty Dumpty was a "fence sitter".  Look what happened to him)

 

Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down
Hickory Dickory Dock

(I had a music box that played this song before.  I would wind it over and over and play it to the dogs.  The dogs would run away everytime they see me carrying that music box)

 

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa baa black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full

One for my master
And one for the dame
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane

Baa baa black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full

(Any nursery rhyme that has got the word "boy" in it was always my favorite.  I always thought that I was the "boy" being referred to in that nursery song and that it was cool to have sheep as pets.)

Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice
Three blind mice
See how they run
See how they run
They all ran after the farmer's wife
Who cut their tails with a carving knife
Have you ever seen such a thing in your life
As three blind mice.

(Another favorite song.  I think I enjoyed the portion where "their tails were cut with a carving knife".  May pagka-sadista ako noon, hehehe)

Jack Be Nimble

Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jump over
The candlestick

(Our teacher put a lighted candle on the floor and we would take our turns jumping over it.  Someone jumped a wee bit low and knocked the candlestick over and that was the end of the poem as we knew it.)

Rock a Bye Baby

Rock a bye baby
On the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall
And down will come baby
Cradle and all

(Ugh, how tragic!  I always felt a sense of discomfort everytime I sang this song.  Who would want to put baby's cradle on the treetop anyway and allow it to fall each time the song is sung)

I Love Little Pussy

I love little pussy
Her coat is so warm
And if I don't hurt her
She'll do me no harm
So I'll not pull her tail
Nor drive her away
But pussy and I
Very gently will play

(Hmmm, if I teach this rhyme to children now, their parents might strangle me, hehehe)

Little Boy Blue

Little boy blue
Come blow your horn
The sheep's the the meadow
The cow's in the corn
Where is that little boy
Who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack, fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No, not I
For if I do,
He's sure to cry

(I think Little Boy Blue is the American version of Juan Tamad)

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Then came a spider
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away

(What's a "Tuffet"???)

Mary had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
It's Fleece as white as snow

Everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

It followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
It followed her to school one day
Which was against the rules

It made the children laugh and play
Laugh and play, laugh and play
It made the childre laugh and play
To see a lamb at school

(Now I know it is spelled "fleece".  When I was a child I thought it was spelled "fleas" and I always wondered why a song would want to mention that a lamb had "fleas" as white as snow.)

One, Two, Tie My Shoe

One, two, tie my shoe
Three, four, shut the door
Five, Six, pick up sticks
Seven, Eight, lay them straight
Nine, Ten, a big fat hen.

(Because of this nursery rhyme, I learned how to tie my own shoes at six years old)

        There!  My collection of my favorite nursery rhymes and poems when I was a child.

        And I typed them all from heart.  Wow!  I'm amazed that I could still recall all these nursery rhymes after all these years.  Of course i had to sing a few of them while typing just to jog my memory.

        And if any of you don't know how to sing them, ring me up and I'll sing them for you, while I'm still in the mood for singing  :D