Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross is a traditional English nursery rhyme related to an Oxfordshire town, Banbury.
As with many nursery rhymes, the exact origins and meanings can be unclear, and different variations of the rhyme may exist.
Early references to the song date back to at least the 18th century, with the first happening in a 1725 rhyme by the name ‘ Now on Cock Horses Does He Ride.’
However, 1784 Gammer Gurton’s Garland or The Nursery Parnassus books have versions closest to the modern song, albeit with a few differences. For instance, the version doesn’t mention a fine lady but mentions an old woman.
Lyrics for Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross
The most popular version of the song is only one verse, shown below:
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes
However, some versions add the verse below:
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To buy little Johnny a galloping horse;
It trots behind, and it ambles before,
And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.
