Ririro

This Old Man (Nursery Rhyme)

Summary

This nursery rhyme is a repetitive, playful chant about an old man who engages in a series of whimsical actions, each tied to a different number from one to ten. In each verse, the old man plays 'knick-knack,' a rhythm or game that he performs on various parts of the child's surroundings such as a thumb, shoe, knee, or other objects like a door and sticks. Each verse concludes with the line 'This old man came rolling home,' promoting a sense of rhythm and anticipation. The recurring chorus invites children to sing along with familiar phrases, enhancing memory and numerical learning. The rhyme is often used to teach counting and rhythm in an entertaining and engaging way.

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This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up to heaven.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again.
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

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