My Hat, It Has Three Corners facts for kids
"My Hat, It Has Three Corners" is a fun folk song that many children sing and act out. It comes from an old Neapolitan tune. Today, kids in countries like Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Portugal enjoy it as an action song.
How the Song Began
The tune for "My Hat, It Has Three Corners" is very old. It comes from a Neapolitan song called "O mamma, mamma cara." This melody was so catchy that it traveled a lot! It's a great example of a "wandering melody" because many different musicians used it in their own works over hundreds of years.
For example, a famous musician named Niccolò Paganini played his own versions of this tune in his concerts. He called his version "Carnival of Venice" (from 1829). Thanks to Paganini, the melody became even more popular. Another famous composer, Frédéric Chopin, also created his own version of the tune.
The words of "My Hat, It Has Three Corners" describe a type of hat called a tricorne. This hat used to be very common. People in Germany were singing this song even before the 1870s. The words first appeared in print in 1886 in a region called Saarland.
Song Lyrics
Here are the lyrics for "My Hat, It Has Three Corners" in different languages:
In German, where the song became very popular, the words are:
Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken,
drei Ecken hat mein Hut.
Und hätt er nicht drei Ecken,
so wär’s auch nicht mein Hut.
The English version is:
My hat, it has three corners,
Three corners has my hat.
And had it not three corners,
It would not be my hat.
The Swedish version is:
Min hatt, den har tre kanter,
tre kanter har min hatt.
och har den ej tre kanter,
så är det ej min hatt!
The Portuguese version is:
O meu chapéu tem três bicos,
Tem três bicos o meu chapéu.
Se não tivesse três bicos,
O chapéu não era meu.
How to Play the Action Song
This song is often played as an action song. This means you don't sing certain words. Instead, you use actions to show what the missing word is. If someone accidentally sings a word that should be silent, they might have to stop playing or do a fun forfeit!
Here are some actions you can use with the words:
- my – Point at yourself with your index finger.
- hat – Touch your head or pretend to touch the brim of a hat.
- three – Hold up three fingers.
- corners – Touch your elbow with your hand.
- not – Shake your head from side to side.
- You can find the song lyrics in many languages.
- Learn more about the song's history: Von Möpsen, Müttern und Nebelspaltern: Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken by Xaver Frühbeis.
