This Old Man He Played One is a relatively famous traditional English counting nursery rhyme. Anyone who’s never heard the song might wonder what it was the old man played. Was it a guitar? Was it a fiddle?
Let’s look at everything about how this classic nursery rhyme came about.
LYRICS
The song, as sung today, has several verses counting from one to ten.
Lyrics for This Old Man He Played One As Sung Today
This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in heaven;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the 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 the 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 the 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 the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.
Full Original Lyrics for This Old Man He Played One
The original lyrics look nothing like the modern version. The only things that don’t change are the words knick-nack. Instead of body parts, the song mixes it up with shoes.
My name is Jack Jintle, the eldest but one,
And I can play nick-nack upon my own thumb.
With my nick-nack and click-clack and sing a fine song,
And all the fine ladies come dancing along.
My name is Jack Jintle, the eldest but two,
And I can play nick-nack upon my own shoe.
With my nick-nack and click-clack and sing a fine song,
And all the fine ladies come dancing along.
My name is Jack Jintle, the eldest but three,
And I can play nick-nack upon my own knee.
With my nick-nack and click-clack and sing a fine song,
And all the fine ladies come dancing along.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS OLD MAN HE PLAYED ONE
Who Wrote the Nursery Rhyme This Old Man He Played One?
Unfortunately, the writer of This Old Man has disappeared in the mists of time like the writers of many other nursery rhymes. Anne Gilchrist learned the tune from her Welsh nurse in the 1870s that she recorded in the Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society of 1937.
That, however, says nothing about who wrote the song. Like other ancient folk songs, the song could have existed even before the 1870s.
The song was collected several times in the early 20th century in England with different lyrics. The variations from these collections got little traction, though. Some records state the song’s first publication was in 1906. However, it is unclear what version came to be at that time.
In his autobiography, Life Is a Four Letter Word, Nicholas Monsarrat calls This Old Man a local and original Liverpool song. Nicholas Monsarrat was a British novelist who lived between 1910 and 1979. He said he experienced the song during his childhood in Liverpool.
What Interesting Theories Explain the Origin of This Old Man He Played One?
Like many other nursery rhymes, this Old Man He Played One has some interesting theories that attempt to explain its origin and history. A quick search on the net will bring up results that the song has creepy roots.
How true is that, though? Let’s see about that with the below theories.
a) The Old Pervert Theory
This theory states that parents coined the song to warn children about an old male pervert. It says the old man would wait for young passersby and play them a tune. Therefore, parents coined the song to warn children about him.
Just how true that is can’t be proven since little evidence exists. Most nursery rhymes have sketchy origins, and many theories try to explain them.
Most of those theories are usually false, and I suspect this one is too.
b) The Begging Irishmen Theory
According to this theory, the song originates from the Irish Potato Famine, when poor Irish people would go begging door to door. The word paddy being a derogatory reference to Irish people lends some credence to this theory.
The Irish people, mostly men, would move house to house and play people some tunes on their knick-knacks or spoons. They would do that hoping to get some change from merciful people. The line give the dog a bone is a further derogatory term for help the Irish beggar.
However, there isn’t a way to prove that’s what inspired the origin of This Old Man He Played One.
WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN? DEFINITIONS:
What Does the Nursery Rhyme This Old Man He Played One Mean?
The song has no hidden interpretation that has been factually documented, however it has a few different hidden histories such as being about the Irish beggers during the potato famine or even a warning to children to stay away from strangers.
What is a Knick-knack?
A knick-knack is a small object or a trinket. However, in the context of this song, a knick-nack is the sound produced by playing an old musical instrument made with spoons. So the term more specifically means to play the spoons.
What is a Paddywack?
Paddy is an English derogatory term for the Irish. Wack means to beat, so paddywhack means to beat an Irish person.
What Does Rolling Home Mean?
In the song rolling home means to go home drunkenly. The explanation ties into the theory of the piece being about a drunk Irish old man.
INTERESTING FACTS & QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Is This Old Man He Played One a Nonsense Rhyme?
The nursery rhyme This Old Man He Played One is a nonsense rhyme. A Nonsense rhyme is a song with no particular meaning to people today in the words or actions portrayed.
In this song, the lines make little sense in our time and society, and one can’t understand how they relate other than to rhyme and be entertaining.
What Does the Old Man Play?
The first thought that comes to mind when you read the song’s title is what does the old man play? My first instinct was an instrument. However, it wasn’t an instrument anyone in the modern world would know.
The old man likely plays a knick-knack, an instrument made of bones. The instrument later transformed into a board played with two metallic spoons.
Is This Old Man He Played One Also an Action Rhyme?
Besides being an excellent counting rhyme, the song is also an action rhyme. Check out this resource from YouTube to see some of the accompanying actions.
Is This Old Man He Played One In the Public Domain?
Yes, This Old Man He Played One is a public-domain song. That means that no one has the copyright to it and that if you want to use the rhyme in your work, you can.
(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 confirm you may use this song)
But- you can’t use someone’s song version since that’s not public domain material. For instance, if you made a song video of the Old Man rhyme, I can’t use it without your permission.
How Do You Sing This Old Man He Played One In Sign Language?
You can sing the song in sign language. Check the below resource from YouTube to see how to sing it that way.
Lesson Plans and Activities Inspired by This Old Man He Played One
The following is a selection of Lesson Plans inspired by the nursery rhyme This Old Man He Played One. You need to click on the images to go to the websites to learn more and download the resources.
Sheet Music for This Old Man He Played One
What Is the Time Signature for This Old Man He Played One?
This Old Man He Played One is typically played in the 4/4 time signature.
Can You Play This Old Man He Played One On An Instrument?
You can play the rhyme with several instruments. Check out the below resources to try it.