Nursery Rhymes – Page 39 – Nursery Rhyme Central

The Wheels on the Bus go round and round is one of the most famous nursery rhymes. That it is a beloved nursery rhyme isn't debatable. And all this love is thanks to the relatable lyrics that teach children different lessons. Let's look at everything from the origin of the famous rhyme to the lyrics. What Are the Lyrics for The Wheels on The Bus? Some lyrics change the All Day Long to All Through the Town - and neither is wrong to sing - just your choice and preference! Modern Day Lyrics The wheels on the bus go round and roundRound and roundRound and roundThe wheels on the bus go round and roundAll Day Long The doors on the bus go open and shutOpen and shutOpen and shutThe doors on the door go open and shutAll Day Long The wipers on the bus go, "Swish, swish, swish""Swish, swish, swish,""Swish, swish, swish,"The wipers on the bus go, "Swish, swish, swish"All Day Long The signals on the bus go blink, blink, blinkBlink, blink, blinkBlink, blink, blinkThe signals on the bus go blink, blink, blinkAll Day Long The horn on the bus goes, "Beep, beep, beep.""Beep, beep, beep.""Beep, beep, beep."The horn on the bus goes, "Beep, beep, beep."All Day Long The motor on the bus goes vroom, vroom, vroomVroom, vroom, vroomVroom, vroom, vroomThe motor on the bus goes vroom, vroom, vroomAll through the town The people on the bus go up and downUp and downUp and downThe people on the bus go up and downAll Day Long The baby on the bus goes, "Wah, Wah, Wah""Wah, Wah, Wah,""Wah, Wah, Wah,"The baby on the bus goes, "Wah, Wah, Wah"All through the town The mommies on the bus go, "Shh, shh, shh""Shh, shh, shh""Shh, shh, shh"The daddies on the bus go, "Shh, shh, shh"All Day Long The daddies on the bus say, " I love you"" I love you "" I love you "The daddies on the bus go, " I love you "All Day Long The wheels on the bus go round and roundRound and roundRound and roundThe wheels on the bus go round and roundAll Day Long https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_04ZrNroTo&ab_channel=Cocomelon-NurseryRhymes Some versions will interchange the order of the verses - and basically when singing it from memory - you just sing it in the order of what you can remember it really doesn't matter! You can also add in your own ideas and verses which is why the song is so loved as well! Alternate Versions of the Wheels on the Bus Some ideas for different verses and lines are: The doors on the bus go open and shut. The bell on the bus goes ding-ding-ding. The lady on the bus says, "Get off my feet"… The people on the bus say, "We had a nice ride"… "Your name" on the bus says Let Me Off! The Grandma on the Bus goes (kiss, kiss, kiss) The Grandpa on the Bus goes (snore, snore, snore) Librarians on the Bus go shh, shh, shh,shh, shh, shh,shh, shh, shh,Librarians on the Bus go shh, shh, shh, Mummy and daddy on the bus says, I love you, Policeman on the Bus, goes allo, allo allo, Grannies on the Bus shake their heads, Grannies on the Bus knit, knit, knit, Dentists on the Bus say open wide, Brakes on the Bus, go screech, screech, screech, Doors on the Bus go open and shut, Friends on the Bus say, how are you? Money on the Bus goes clink, clink, clink, Teenagers on the Bus go like OMG, Animal Verses You can also include animals in the songs to teach the children animal sounds. There are no limits to what you can add to the song as long as you don't lose the tune! Dogs on the Bus go woof, woof, woof, Cats on the Bus go meow, meow, meow, Mice on the Bus go squeak, squeak, squeak, Chickens on the Bus go cluck, cluck, cluck, Ducks on the Bus go quack, quack, quack, Turkeys on the Bus go gobble, gobble, gobble, Parrots on the Bus say, Who's a pretty boy? Sheep on the bus go baa, baa, baa, Cows on the Bus go moo, moo, moo, Pigs on the bus go oink, oink, oink, Horses on the Bus go neigh, neigh, neigh, Cockroaches on the Bus go skitter, skitter, skitter, Tired of singing The Wheels on The Bus the traditional way? Perhaps it's time to spice it up with the alternate versions above. Having seen the modern lyrics, let's now see how the original lyrics were. Full Original Lyrics We refer to the first lyrics of the song ever published when speaking of the original lyrics. The lyrics aren't what you see in the rhyme today and, of course, don't follow the same melody we use today. Here are the lyrics as first written in a December 1939 issue of American Childhood: The wheels of the bus go round and round,Round and round, round and round;The wheels of the bus go round and round,Over the city streets. The horn of the bus goes "Too-to-too,"Too-to-too, too-to-too,"the horn of the bus goes "Too-to-too"At the other buses, it meets. The people in the bus go up and down,Up and down,up and down;The people in the bus go up and down,Bouncing off their seats. As you can see, the original version differs from what we sing today. There is no all day long or all through the town refrain. Instead, the last line describes the events in the whole verse. WHAT IS THE HISTORY BEHIND THE WHEELS ON THE BUS? The Wheels on the Bus is an American folk song initially known as the bus first appeared in print in the December 1939 issue of American Childhood. It is popular in most English-speaking countries for several reasons the first being it keeps children entertained over longer periods of time than most rhymes because you can continue to add on verses as you come up with ideas. And secondly, you can change the song to relate to different themes and things which can be helpful when teaching children. Who Wrote the Wheels on The Bus Nursery Rhyme? Like all other nursery rhymes, the Wheels on the Bus is an old rhyme. It was first published in 1939 in a December issue of American Childhood, under the name of Verna Hills, who lived between 1898 and 1990. But whether she actually created the song herself or whether she just recorded the words for print from the oral versions heard in not known. Little is known about the writer Verna Hills apart from her birth and year of death. That's an entirely common thing for many nursery rhymes written in the early or late 19th century. Why was The Wheels on the Bus written? This nursery rhyme was intended to be sung by children while on the bus, possibly to while away the time as they went to school - although sung today on any type of journey and even when not on a bus but in a classroom or at home. We can therefore assume that it doesn't have any other special meaning other than being a simple song, that was easy to follow and learn to make kids happy as they went to school. Back when school buses had only just become a thing, children would spend a lot of time riding to school as the bus picked up children through the town. There were less busses then, and children had to contend with longer bus trips - although I would say many sit on school busses for quite some time even today! That could be one reason the song was created - to keep the children on school bus trips entertained. WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN? DEFINITIONS AND LESSONS FROM THE SONG What Do Swish and Vroom Mean? Swish, in this context, refers to the sound the wipers make as they wipe the bus’s windscreen. Meanwhile, vroom is the sound of the bus's engine as it moves through town. What Does This Song Teach Children? Besides the apparent lessons such as interpersonal skills and teaching your child to speak this song can teach children about so many things which is why it is a preschool favorite. In the first place, it can teach a child the names of a bus's sounds and features. Features such as wheels, wipers, and doors and their sounds which are things that children might not know. Also, the Wheels on The Bus Rhyme can teach a child about the purpose of a bus - that there is a driver, you pay for a ticket, and there are a variety of people who use a bus. It helps develop the concept of transportation. Then of course, if you change the words to animals for example you can explore in a fun way all the animals that live on a farm or in the ocean or a jungle and the noises they make or how they move! Lastly, it is very easy to add actions to this song which then helps to develop children's motor skills and the development of the neural pathways for movement and coordination. When saying the wheels go round and round, you can make round actions with your arms, your can swish them like windscreen wipers, pretend to beep the horn, bounce up and down in your chair or wipe your eyes like a crying baby. INTERESTING FACTS & QUESTIONS ANSWERED Is The Wheels on the Bus in the Public Domain? Most people believe that The wheels on the Bus nursery rhyme is public domain because although credited to Verna Hill, the nursery rhyme doesn't have a confirmed author that owns the copyright. The haziness presumably makes it a public domain song like the other nursery rhymes. The general copyright consensus is that music published prior to 1926 is public domain -but as the song was first seen in print in 1939 this could interfere with it being so - but really - no one is sure if the same applies to the Wheels on the bus - having no confirmed author. It is always best to confirm copyright laws with the authorities in your area fo the world before releasing your version of a nursery rhyme where the copyright is not clear! What Age Group of Children Is the Wheels on The Bus Rhyme Perfect For? The Wheels on the Bus rhyme is perfect for children from 1.5yrs onwards. As you sing it with the child, you can also integrate hand motions for various verses in the song alongside gestures to teach the child about new things. That, however, doesn't mean you can't sing the song to a one-week-old baby. You're free to sing away to a child of any age, provided they love the song. However, older children aged 3 to 7 years might better relate to the song as they might have more worldly experience with buses or transport. THE WHEELS ON THE BUS INSPIRED LESSON PLANS All nursery rhyme songs aim to teach children new lessons as they grow. For that reason, there are several lessons plans you can use with these nursery rhymes. The following is a selection of Lesson Plans that I have found inspired by the Wheels on The Bus Nursery Rhyme. Other websites host all the lessons, so you must click on the images to learn more and download their resources. What Songs Share a Melody with Wheels on The Bus? The Wheels on the Bus shares a melody and tune with another nursery rhyme. We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. However, the former wasn't originally sung in the same way as the latter. That must have been a development that happened over the years to incorporate the new lyrics and make them enjoyable. Despite the two songs sharing the same tune, they aren't the same. They have different lyrics and teach different lessons. SHEET MUSIC What Time Signature is The Wheels on the Bus Played In? The Wheels on The Bus is sung in the 2/4-time signature. You can thus play it with any instrument if you like. HOW TO PLAY THE WHEELS ON THE BUS ON A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT The Wheels on the Bus is playable on many types of instruments. The instructional videos below should offer the proper guidance to play the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pax1yqpEmL8&ab_channel=PianoSongDownload https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvXVXx-Sfxw&ab_channel=SimplifiedGuitar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hskPFm_n4ok&ab_channel=YOUCANPLAYIT.COM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u41xJIGqMn8&ab_channel=EasyMusicLesson