Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son (Learnt to Play)
Tom, Tom, The Piper's Son (Learnt to Play)
Nursery Rhyme
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
He learnt to play when he was young,
He with his pipe made such a noise,
That he pleased all the girls and boys.
 - English Children's Songs - England - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World
"Pin It")
Notes
Here's the version in the mp3:
Tom, he was a piper's son,
He learned to play when he was young,
And all the tune that he could play
Was, "Over the hills and far away,"
Over the hills, and a great way off,
The wind will blow my top-knot off.
Now, Tom with his pipe made such a noise
That he well pleased both the girls and boys,
And they always stopped to hear him play
"Over the hills and far away."
*****
Here's another version from The Baby's Opera by Walter Crane (1877):
Tom he was a piper's son,
He learnt to play when he was young;
But all the tunes that he could play
Was "Over the hills and far away."
Over the hills and a great way off,
The wind shall blow my top-knot* off.
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 and a great way off,
The wind shall blow my top-knot off.
*A topknot was a bow of ribbon worn on top of the head by ladies in the late 17th century and the 18th century (later they wore them in their lace caps).
*****
I found this longer version of Tom, Tom the Piper's Son in A History of Nursery Rhymes (1899) by Percy B. Green:
Tom, he was a piper's son,
He learned to play when he was young;
But the only tune that he could play
Was "Over the hills and far away."
Over the hills and a great way off,
And the wind will blow my top-knot off.
Now 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."
Tom on his pipe did play with such skill
That those who heard him could never keep still;
Whenever they heard him they began to dance,
Even pigs on their hind legs would after him prance.
As Dolly was milking the cows one day
Tom took out his pipe and began to play;
So Doll and the cows danced the Cheshire cheese round,
Till the pail was broke and the milk spilt on the ground.
He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs,
He used his pipe, she used her legs.
She danced, he piped, the eggs were all broke;
Dame Trot began to fret, Tom laughed at his joke.
He saw a cross fellow beating an ass
Laden with pots, pans, dishes, and glass;
Tom took out his pipe and played a tune,
And the jackass's load was lightened full soon.
Comments
The song in the illustration with the goat is as follows:
The goat was a going to shave
off his beard,
But soon he was done when TOMS
music he heard,
He ran out of doors in a kind
of a passion,
And danced this find dance
Which is now all the fashion.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The first illustration and the first version of the rhyme come from Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhymes (1881). The second illustration, the score and the tune all come from The Baby's Opera by Walter Crane (1877), with a little graphic editing from Mama Lisa. The 3rd image is from "Tom the Piper's Son; illustrated with whimsical engravings" by William Charles of Philadelphia circa 1812.
