THE
BABY’S OPERA

2. Come with a whoop, and come with a call.
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A penny loaf will serve you all.

This is the way we clap our hands,
This is the way we clap our hands,
This is the way we clap our hands,
All on a frosty morning.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

2. What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all that’s nice,
And that are little girls made of.

3. What are young men made of?
What are young men made of?
Sighs and leers, and crocodile tears,
And that are young men made of.

4. What are young women made of?
What are young women made of?
Ribbons and laces, and sweet pretty faces,
And that are young women made of.

2. Call up your men, diddle, diddle!
Set them to work;
Some to the plough, diddle, diddle!
Some to the cart.

3. Some to make hay, diddle, diddle!
Some to cut corn;
While you and I, diddle, diddle!
Keep ourselves warm.

2. And what do you think was in them then,
In them then, in them then,
And what do you think was in them then,
On New-year’s Day in the morning?

3. Three pretty girls were in them then,
In them then, in them then,
Three pretty girls were in them then,
On New-year’s Day in the morning.

4. And one could whistle, and one could sing,
The other play on the violin;
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New-year’s Day in the morning.

2. “O! there is sweet music on yonder green hill, O!
And you shall be a dancer, a dancer in yellow,
All in yellow, all in yellow.”
Said the crow to the frog, and then, O!
“All in yellow, all in yellow,”
Said the frog to the crow again, O!

3. “Farewell, ye little fishes, that in the river swim, O!
I’m going to be a dancer, a dancer in yellow.”
“O beware! O beware!”
Said the fish to the frog, and then, O!
“I’ll take care, I’ll take care,”
Said the frog to the fish again, O!

4. The frog began a swimming, a swimming to land, O!
And the crow began jumping to give him his hand, O!
“Sir, you’re welcome, Sir, you’re welcome,”
Said the crow to the frog, and then, O!
“Sir, I thank you, Sir, I thank you.”
Said the frog to the crow, again, O!

5. “But where is the sweet music on yonder green hill, O?
And where are all the dancers, the dancers in yellow?
All in yellow, all in yellow?”
Said the frog to the crow, and then, O!
“Sir, they’re here, Sir, they’re here.”
Said the crow to the frog—[*]

2. “John Ostler, go fetch me a duckling or two,
John Ostler go fetch me a duckling or two;
Cry dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly, come and be killed,
For you must be stuffed, and my customers filled!”

3. “I have been to the ducks that are swimming in the pond,
And they won’t come to be killed, Mrs. Bond;
I cried dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly, come and be killed,
For you must be stuffed, and the customers filled!”

4. Mrs. Bond she went down to the pond in a rage,
With plenty of onions, and plenty of sage;
She cried, “Come, little wag-tails, come, and be killed.
For you shall be stuffed, and my customers filled!”

2. Dame, what makes your maidens lie,
Maidens lie, maidens lie?
Dame, what makes your maidens lie,
On Christmas-day in the morning?

3. Dame, what makes your ducks to die,
Ducks to die, ducks to die?
Dame, what makes your ducks to die,
On Christmas-day in the morning?

4. Their wings are cut, they cannot fly,
Cannot fly, cannot fly;
Their wings are cut, they cannot fly,
On Christmas-day in the morning.

2. A bag pudding the Queen did make,
And stuffed it well with plums,
And in it put great lumps of fat
As big as my two thumbs.

3. The King and Queen did eat thereof,
And noblemen beside,
And what they could not eat that night
The Queen next morning fried.

2. The king was in his counting-house counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden hanging out her clothes,
When up came a blackbird and pecked off her nose.

2. Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.

3. Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them,
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed
For they’d left their tails behind them.

4. It happened one day as Bo-Peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.

5. She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,
Then went o’er hill and dale,
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
To tack to each sheep its tail.

2. “I’ll build thee a silver sty,
Honey!” said she;
“And in it thou shalt lie!”
“Hunc!” said he.

3. “Pinned with a silver pin,
Honey!” said she;
“That thou mayest go out and in,”
“Hunc!” said he.

4. “Will thou have me now,
Honey?” said she;
“Speak, or my heart will break,”
“Hunc!” said he.

2. Tom with his pipe made such a noise
That he pleased both the girls and boys,
And they stopped to hear him play,
“Over the hills and far away.”
Over the hills, &c.

2. “My dearest Jenny Wren,
If you will but be mine,
You shall dine on cherry pie,
And drink nice currant wine;
I’ll dress you like a gold-finch,
Or like a peacock gay,
So if you’ll have me, Jenny, dear,
Let us appoint the day.”

3. Jenny blushed behind her fan
And thus declared her mind—
“So let it be to-morrow, Rob,
I’ll take your offer kind;
Cherry pie is very good,
And so is currant wine,
But I will wear my plain brown gown,
And never dress too fine.”

4. Robin Redbreast got up early,
All at the break of day,
He flew to Jenny Wren’s house,
And sang a roundelay;
He sang of Robin Redbreast,
And pretty Jenny Wren,
And when he came unto the end,
He then began again.

2. Now, had these children been at home,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny,
They had not all been drowned.

3. You parents all that children have,
And you that have got none,
If you would have them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home.

2. “Shall I go with you, my pretty maid?”
“Yes, if you please, kind Sir,” she said,
“Sir,” she said, “Sir,” she said,
“Yes, if you please, kind Sir,” she said.

3. “What is your fortune, my pretty maid?”
“My face is my fortune, Sir,” she said,
“Sir,” she said, “Sir,” she said,
“My face is my fortune, Sir,” she said.

4. “Then I can’t marry you, my pretty maid.”
“Nobody asked you, Sir,” she said,
“Sir,” she said, “Sir,” she said,
“Nobody asked you, Sir,” she said.

2. I sold my six horses to buy me a cow;
And wasn’t that a pretty thing to follow the plough?
With my, &c.

3. I sold my cow to buy me a calf,
For I never made a bargain but I lost the best half.
With my, &c.

4. I sold my calf to buy me a cat,
To sit down before the fire to warm her little back.
With my, &c.

5. I sold my cat to buy me a mouse,
But she took fire in her tail and so burnt up my house.
With my, &c.

Tweedle dee, tweedle dee, tweedle dee, tweedle dee,
Tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers three,
O there’s none so rare as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.