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Hickory Dickory Dock

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Wikipedia article




"'Hickory Dickory Dock'" or "'Hickety Dickety Dock'" is a popular English-language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6489.

Lyrics and music



The most common modern version is:



Hickory dickory dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck two,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck three,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck four,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock.


Other variants include "down the mouse ran"'The American Mercury', Volume 77, p. 105 or "down the mouse run" or "and down he ran" or "and down he run" in place of "the mouse ran down".

Score



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\clef treble \key d \major

%\new Lyrics \lyricmode

>>

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Origins and meaning



The earliest recorded version of the rhyme is in 'Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book', published in London in about 1744, which uses the opening line: 'Hickere, Dickere Dock'. The next recorded version in 'Mother Goose's Melody' (c. 1765), uses 'Dickery, Dickery Dock'.

The rhyme is thought by some commentators to have originated as a counting-out rhyme. Westmorland shepherds in the nineteenth century used the numbers 'Hevera' (8), 'Devera' (9) and 'Dick' (10) which are from the language Cumbric.

The rhyme is thought to have been based on the astronomical clock at Exeter Cathedral. The clock has a small hole in the door below the face for the resident cat to hunt mice.Cathedral Cats. Richard Surman. HarperCollins. 2004

See also



*Yan Tan Tethera

*Chiastic structure

*List of nursery rhymes

*Hickory, Dickory, and Doc

References




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