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 (21–30)
The Queen of Hearts
The Queen of Hearts who appears in the fairy tale Through the Looking-Glass.
The poem about the Queen of Hearts quoted in the story came to be loved as a Mother Goose rhyme just as it is, and that’s this song.
It’s a somewhat comical song in which the Queen of Hearts spends an entire summer day making tarts, only to have Jack steal them.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
This song is one of the most famous in Mother Goose, and many people probably heard the Japanese-translated lyrics when they were children.
The song is based on the true story of a girl named Mary Sawyer, who lived with her farming family in Sterling, Massachusetts, in 1816.
One day, when Mary went to the sheep pen, she found that one of a pair of twin lambs had been abandoned by its mother.
Mary decided to keep the abandoned lamb as a pet.
Later, when she went to school one day, the lamb followed her there, and the entire classroom burst into laughter—that’s the story.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rainy days might not be very exciting for children.
But on days like that, just singing a song like this could help lift their spirits a little.
The way the lyrics fit the rhythm and the rhyming are great fun, and simply singing it seems enough to blow away the gloom.
The main part of the lyrics doesn’t change, but there appear to be several variations in the subsequent lines.
The origins of these lyrics can be traced back at least to the 17th century, showing that it’s a song that has been loved for a very long time.
Oranges and Lemons (Orange to Lemon)
“Oranges and Lemons,” like “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” is a singing game where two people form an arch and others pass underneath it.
The beauty of the rhyming sounds is quintessential Mother Goose.
However, the lyrics themselves are a bit grim: the bells chime “Pay me my money,” and in the end the executioner arrives.
Did You Ever See A Lassie? (Have you ever seen a girl like this?)
This is a Mother Goose rhyme titled “Have You Seen Such a Child?” in Japanese.
It shares the same melody as the Austrian folk song “O Du Lieber Augustin,” so many people may recognize it.
The tune is often used in TV commercials, but many might not know the lyrics.
Ring-A-Ring-O-Roses
“Ring-a-ring o’ roses” is known in the West as a nursery rhyme that children sing while holding hands in a circle.
The cute lyrics go on about a “ring of roses” and “let’s dance hand in hand,” but it ends with the suggestive line “we all fall down,” which is very much in the Mother Goose style.
Three little kittens (three kittens)
Many old songs have somewhat scary or chilling, even brutal, imagery, and people often say some Mother Goose rhymes are “scary.” But the song “Three Little Kittens” is very cute and doesn’t feel scary at all—it’s a children’s song.
In Japanese, the title would be “3匹の子猫” (Three Little Kittens).
The lyrics tell how three little kittens lose their mittens and get scolded by their mother, then find them and are praised, then soil them and get scolded again, and so on.
It’s a charming song where the kittens’ moods rise and fall with their mother’s reactions.