Ding Dong Bell
The origins of this nursery rhyme date back to the 16th century and the era of Shakespeare who used the phrase "Ding Dong Bell" in several plays. The original lyrics of "Ding Dong Bell" actually ended with the cat being left to drown!
These words were modified and the cat was saved by 'Little Tommy Stout' to encourage children to understand that it was unacceptable and cruel to harm any animal 'who ne'er did any harm'. The latter version taught morality at an early age.
And I remember till 'Little Tommy Stout'. Even I don't know the full poem.
Following are the Lyrics of the poem:
Ding Dong Bell,
Pussy's In The Well;
Who Put Her In?
Little Johny Thin;
Who Pulled Her Out?
Little Tommy Stout;
What A Naughty Boy Was That,
To Drown A Poor Pussy Cat,
Ding Dong Bell,
Pussy's In The Well;
Who Put Her In?
Little Johny Green;
Who Pulled Her Out?
Little Tommy Stout;
What A Naughty Boy Was That,
To Drown A Poor Pussy Cat,
Who Never Did Any Harm.
But Killed All The Mice,
In The Farmer's Barn.
These words were modified and the cat was saved by 'Little Tommy Stout' to encourage children to understand that it was unacceptable and cruel to harm any animal 'who ne'er did any harm'. The latter version taught morality at an early age.
And I remember till 'Little Tommy Stout'. Even I don't know the full poem.
Following are the Lyrics of the poem:
Ding Dong Bell,
Pussy's In The Well;
Who Put Her In?
Little Johny Thin;
Who Pulled Her Out?
Little Tommy Stout;
What A Naughty Boy Was That,
To Drown A Poor Pussy Cat,
Ding Dong Bell,
Pussy's In The Well;
Who Put Her In?
Little Johny Green;
Who Pulled Her Out?
Little Tommy Stout;
What A Naughty Boy Was That,
To Drown A Poor Pussy Cat,
Who Never Did Any Harm.
But Killed All The Mice,
In The Farmer's Barn.
Vocabulary:
1) Pussy --- Informal terms referring to a domestic cat.
2) Naughty --- Badly behaved
3) Drown --- Kill by submerging in water
4) Mouse (Singular) Mice (Plural) --- Rats
5) Barn --- An outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
Opposites:
Thin * Stout (fat)
1) Thin --- Lacking excess flesh
2) Stout --- heavy-bodied person
