Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree is an interactive and fun counting chant that resembles other songs with five monkey characters. However, this nursery rhyme differs in many ways and is a great one to sing and act out with children.
The rhyme is a classic that many educators sing to their students about monkeys swinging or sitting in a tree while making fun of an alligator or crocodile. Not only are there exciting hand movements that help create suspense and surprise in children when singing the song, it also counts down from five, helping to immerse toddlers, especially in this numeracy skill.
Let’s look at everything about this song and what makes it such a fun song for children and adults.
LYRICS
Lyrics for Five Little Monkeys Swinging In a Tree As Sung Today
Five little monkeys
swinging in a tree,
teasing Mr. Alligator
‘you can’t catch me…. can’t catch me’
along came Mr. Alligator,
quiet as can be
and snapped
that monkey out of that tree
Four little monkeys
swinging in a tree,
teasing Mr. Alligator
‘you can’t catch me…. can’t catch me’
along came Mr. Alligator,
quiet as can be
and snapped
that monkey out of that tree
Three little monkeys
swinging in a tree,
teasing Mr. Alligator
‘you can’t catch me…. can’t catch me’
along came Mr. Alligator,
quiet as can be
and snapped
that monkey out of that tree
Two little monkeys
swinging in a tree,
teasing Mr. Alligator
‘you can’t catch me…. can’t catch me’
along came Mr. Alligator,
quiet as can be
and snapped
that monkey out of that tree
One little monkey
swinging in a tree,
teasing Mr. Alligator
‘you can’t catch me…. can’t catch me’
along came Mr. Alligator,
quiet as can be
and snapped
that monkey out of that tree
No more monkeys swinging in the tree
Different Lyrics for Five Little Monkeys Swinging In a Tree
There are other versions of this song with slightly differing lyrics such as:
Five cheeky monkeys sitting in a tree,
teasing Mr. Alligator ‘you can’t catch me’
along came Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be
and………. SNAP!!!
In some versions of the song the Alligator is a Crocodile – particularly in countries like Australia where crocodiles rather than alligators are more common.
In some the monkeys are sitting and in others they are swinging.
You can also describe the monkeys in different ways so instead of being little, you can call them cheeky for example.
THE HISTORY BEHIND FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS SWINGING IN A TREE
Who Wrote the Nursery Rhyme Five Little Monkeys Swinging In a Tree?
Unfortunately, this chants creator is unknown. There is little information about the song’s origin, although many call it an American Rhyme, especially when sung with an alligator.
It’s common for nursery rhymes to have relatively obscure origins, as most were passed on from generation to generation orally, meaning there is no published record to help us define who first created them.
WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN? DEFINITIONS
What Does the Nursery Rhyme Five Little Monkeys Mean?
The nursery rhyme five little monkeys swinging in a tree has no special meaning. At face value, the song only talks of monkeys up to their usual mischievousness. That doesn’t represent any more profound meaning, sinister or auspicious.
What Is a Monkey?
A monkey is a mammal of the family of primates with long tails and bushy fur. Monkeys live in forests and are famous for swinging in trees.
What’s an Alligator?
An alligator is a giant reptile of the same family as a crocodile. Alligators are sometimes referred to as gators.
What’s To Snap Mean?
To snap in the song means to bite, especially by an animal. The alligator snaps at the monkeys in the tree, meaning it bites them.
INTERESTING FACTS & QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Are Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree and Five Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed The Same Song?
No, the two songs aren’t the same. You could say they are the same five monkeys up to mischief, but one group is in a bed, and the other is in a tree in a forest. Differing situations, differing lyrics.
But it’s understandable to think of them as variants of the same song. By the last stanza, they feature five monkeys and count down from five to no monkeys.
However, that doesn’t make the song related.
How did the Alligator or Crocodile reach the Monkeys in the tree?
If you have ever been on a river tour in search of Crocodiles in far north Australia, you will know that crocodiles can jump up and out of the water! Very high infact! You can read some facts about alligators and how high they can jump here!
Although this can be a terrifying idea in real life, in the nursery rhyme it is a plausible way that makes sense if the reptile kept returning for each of the remaining monkeys, and each of them was not escaping.
Do Alligators Climb Trees?
Hearing the song for the first time, you might wonder how the alligator got to the monkey in the first place. Did it climb the tree? How come the monkey didn’t run to safety?
Well, maybe it is because alligators and their cousins, crocodiles, can and do climb trees. Didn’t think they could? According to various studies, crocodiles and alligators can climb trees, especially at an angle – for more about that you can read this article on wildlifeinformer.com.
So if you were wondering how the alligator managed to snap the monkeys out of the trees, then a plausible explanation is it climbed the tree.
What’s The Difference Between an Alligator and a Crocodile?
Some versions of this song use crocodiles instead of alligators. While they might look like each other, gators are different from crocodiles. So closely do they resemble each other that some people even mistake crocodiles for gators and vice versa, but here is how they are different.
Crocodiles prefer salt water, are lighter in color, and have long, pointed v-shaped snouts, while gators have broad, round u-shaped snouts, are darker in color, and swim in freshwater. Next time you face any of them and are confused about how to describe the animal that attacked you, remember the snout.
Also, when singing the song, it’s okay to use whichever you prefer.
Accompanying Actions for Five Little Monkeys Swinging In a Tree
| Lyrics | Hand Movements |
|---|---|
| Five little monkeys swinging in a tree, | Raise one hand with the number of fingers for each monkey in the tree. Wiggle your fingers or swing your hand to represent the swinging or sitting monkeys. or Hold one arm up, with a bent elbow as the tree and swing your fingers from the ‘tree’ to represent the monkeys |
| teasing Mr. Alligator ‘you can’t catch me…. can’t catch me’ | Put a hand on each side of your head, or a thumb on your nose and wiggle your fingers in a teasing action. |
| along came Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be (lower your volume and slow down your voice as you say this part) | Put your hands together and slide them side to side slowly to mime the crocodile moving through the water. |
| and snapped that monkey out that tree (raise the volume of your voice for the snapped to surprise your audience) | Open your arms wide miming the crocodile’s mouth and ending in a clap for the snap. |
| The very last verse: No more monkeys swinging in the tree | Shake your head back and forth for no. Or shake your finger in a no gesture. Or hold out your hands and raise you shoulders in more of a surprised gesture. |
Is Five Little Monkeys Swinging In a Tree In the Public Domain?
Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree is a public-domain song. That means that no one has the copyright to it and that if you want to use the song in your work, you can.
No one knows who came up with the song or when it first appeared. Most songs with no known composer are usually in the public domain. The same applies to songs published before 1925.
(Disclaimer: This is a general–not a legally confirmed fact, and you need to do more research into the laws in your jurisdiction/country to ensure you may use this song)
But this does not apply to other people’s versions of it—for example, if you made a CD or a YouTube video of you singing Five Little Monkeys Swinging In a Tree, your version is not public domain. Therefore, I cannot resell it without your permission.
LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES INSPIRED BY THE FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS NURSERY RHYME
Below is a selection of Lesson Plans based on the nursery rhyme Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree. You need to click on the images to go to the websites to learn more and download the resources.
SHEET MUSIC FOR FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS SWINGING IN A TREE
Click on the sheet music below to go to the creator’s website and to be able to print the lyrics and for more information on how to play the rhyme!
What Is the Time Signature of Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree?
The time signature is in common or 4/4 time.
How Do You Sing Five Little Monkeys In Sign Language?
You can sing Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree in sign language. Check the below resource from YouTube to see how to sing it that way.
How To Play Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree With an Instrument?
You can now play the chant and rhyme on an instrument thanks to Dany Rosevear who created sheet music above for you to play from. She has included both chords and the melody.
However, there are not many tutorials out there teaching you visually how to play it.
Check out the below video to try and follow the chords on a guitar that are being played or use the sheet music above on a piano or other instrument.
