This Old Man facts for kids

"This Old Man" is a super popular English language children's song and nursery rhyme. It's a fun counting song that many kids learn! It has a special number, 3550, in the Roud Folk Song Index, which helps keep track of traditional songs.

Sing Along! The Lyrics

The most common way to sing "This Old Man" goes like this:

This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my drum;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack with my sticks;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in heaven;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

How the Song Changed Over Time

This song has been around for a long time! It has changed and been used in many different ways.

Early History and Collections

Nicholas Monsarrat (1910–1979) wrote in his autobiography that "This Old Man" was a special song from Liverpool. He said it was "local and original" when he was a kid there.

A similar version of the song appeared in a book called English Folk-Songs for Schools. This book was published in 1906 by Cecil Sharp and Sabine Baring-Gould. People collected different versions of the song in England in the early 1900s.

Popularity Boosts

In 1948, Pete Seeger and Ruth Crawford included the song in their book American Folk Songs for Children. Pete Seeger also recorded it in 1953.

The song became even more famous in 1958. It was used in the movie The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Composer Malcolm Arnold adapted it into "The Children's Marching Song." This led to hit songs for Cyril Stapleton and Mitch Miller. Both of their versions made it into the Top 40 music charts!

Bing Crosby also included the song in a mix of songs on his album 101 Gang Songs in 1961.

"This Old Man" in TV Shows and Music

• The children's TV show Barney & Friends used the tune of "This Old Man" for its closing song, "I Love You."
• In the TV series Columbo, the main character often whistled this song. He usually did it when he was happy and close to solving a mystery.
• British comedy duo Flanders and Swann made a funny version called "All Gall." It was about French President Charles de Gaulle. They changed the chorus to mention French drinks like Cognac and Armagnac.
• In 1975, a rock version by Bobby Beato and Purple Reign was released and became a charted single.
• In 1980, musician Raffi recorded a blues-style version of the song. It was on his Baby Beluga album.
• In 1994, the band Korn used lyrics from "This Old Man" in their song "Shoots and Ladders." This song was on their first album, Korn.
• In an episode of Mad Men called "New Amsterdam," Bert Cooper hums the song. He is the oldest partner at the company.