Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John

"Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19709.

"Diddle Diddle Dumpling" redirects here. For the Inside No. 9 episode, see Diddle Diddle Dumpling (Inside No. 9). For the Irish anti-war folk song known as "My Son John", see Mrs. McGrath.

Lyrics

The most commonly used modern version is:

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,
Went to bed with his trousers on;
One shoe off, and the other shoe on,
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.[1]

Alternate versions include:

Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John
Went to bed with his britches on.
One shoe off, and one shoe on;
Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John.[2]


Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John,
Went to bed with his stockings on;
One shoe off, and one shoe on,
Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John.[3]

Origins

The rhyme is first recorded in The Newest Christmas Box published in London around 1797. It may be derived from 'Diddle, diddle, diddle Dumpling', a traditional street cry of hot dumpling sellers.[1]

References
  1. I. Opie and P. Opie (1951). The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 245–6. (2nd ed. 1997)
  2. Wright, The Original Mother Goose (1916), as quoted on mothergooseclub.com
  3. Smith, The Little Mother Goose (1912), as quoted on mothergooseclub.com
  • BBC 'Inside number 9' TV episode with the same name
  • Sky's British black comedy 'Hunderby', set in the 1830s, features the song as evening entertainment accompanied by a traditional crumhorn.



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