Here Comes an Old Soldier from Botany Bay facts for kids
Here Comes an Old Soldier from Botany Bay, often called Here Comes an Old Soldier or just Old Soldier, is a fun nursery rhyme and children's game. You can find this game played in Australia, the United States, and the British Isles. The rhyme and game have been around for a long time, at least since the late 1800s.
The Rhyme and Game
The main part of this game is a short rhyme:
Here comes an old soldier from Botany Bay,
Have you got anything to give him to-day.
This rhyme is used in a memory game. Here's how it works:
- One person is the "caller." They say the two lines of the rhyme.
- The first player then names something they would give to the soldier. For example, "I'll give him a hat."
- The caller repeats the rhyme.
- The next player has to remember what the first person said and then add their own gift. So, they might say, "I'll give him a hat and a dog."
- This continues, with each person adding a new item to the growing list.
- The game gets harder as the list gets longer! The goal is to remember all the items in the correct order.
- It's even more fun if the items people choose are silly or unexpected! The game ends when someone can't remember the whole list.
Where It Came From
The rhyme and game have a history that goes back to the late 1800s. A famous writer named G. K. Chesterton remembered this poem from his childhood in London. He called it a "beggars' rhyme." The words he remembered were a little different:
Here comes a poor soldier from Botany Bay:
What have you got to give him to-day?
Over time, different versions of the game appeared. In some older versions, children would play a trick. They would try to make the other player say certain "forbidden" words, like 'Yes', 'No', 'Black', or 'White'. If a player said one of these words by mistake, they might have to pay a small "forfeit" (like doing a silly task).
Later, in the 1900s, other versions of the rhyme became popular. Sometimes, instead of an "old soldier," the rhyme would talk about an "old woman from Botany Bay." This shows how children's games can change and adapt in different places!
