To Bed, To Bed, Says Sleepy-Head
To Bed, To Bed, Says Sleepy-Head
Nursery Rhyme
"To bed! To bed!"
Says Sleepy-head;
"Tarry awhile," says Slow;
"Put on the pan,"
Says Greedy Nan*;
"We'll sup before we go."
Notes
*Nan is a female name - it's the familiar form of Ann. It can also be what you call a child's nurse-maid (from nanny).
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Another version:
"To bed, to bed," says Sleepy-Head;
"Let's stay awhile," says Slow;
"Put on the pot," says Greedy-Sot*,
"We'll sup before we go."
*Sot means fool.
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Here's the version from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith:
"Come, let's to bed,"
Says Sleepy-head;
"Tarry a while," says Slow.
Sleepyhead, Slow and Greedy
"Put on the pot,"
Says the Greedy one,
"Let's sup before we go."
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The first version of the rhyme can be found in The Real Mother Goose (1916).
The illustration is from Mother Goose, The Original Volland Edition (1915), edited and arranged by Eulalie Osgood Grover and illustrated by Frederick Richardson (with some graphical editing by Mama Lisa). The second illustration is from The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. The third illustration is from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith. The 4th image can be found in Traditional Nursery Songs of England with Pictures by Eminent Modern Artists edited by Felix Summerly (1843).
