One, Two, Three, Four, Five
| "One, two, three, four, five" | |
|---|---|
| Roud #13530 | |
| Song | |
| Written | England |
| Published | c. 1765 |
| Form | Nursery rhyme |
| Writer(s) | Traditional |
| Language | English |
"One, two, three, four, five" is a popular English language nursery rhyme and counting-out rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 13530.
Lyrics
Common modern versions include:
- One, two, three, four, five,
- Once I caught a fish alive,
- Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
- Then I let it go again.
- Why did you let it go?
- Because it bit my finger so.
- Which finger did it bite?
- This little finger on the right.[1]
Origins and meaning
The rhyme is one of many counting-out rhymes. It was first recorded in Mother Goose's Melody around 1765. Like most versions until the late nineteenth century, it had only the first stanza, and dealt with a hare not a fish, with the lyrics:
- One, two, three, Four and five,
- I caught a hare alive;
- Six, seven, eight, Nine and ten,
- I let him go again.[1]
The modern version is derived from three variations collected by Henry Bolton in the 1880s from America.[1]
The song was sung on the children's television program Barney & Friends.
Notes
- 1 2 3 I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 334-5.
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