This Old Man
"This Old Man" is a traditional English nursery rhyme and counting song (Roud Folk Song Index #3550) designed to teach children the numbers one through ten, with each verse describing an old man playing "knick-knack" on a different object or body part, such as his thumb, shoe, or gate, accompanied by the refrain "With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone, this old man came rolling home."[1] The rhyme's earliest known printed version appeared in English Folk-Songs for Schools, a 1906 collection edited by folklorists Cecil Sharp and Sabine Baring-Gould, though it likely circulated orally prior to that. A similar variant was documented in 1937 by folk song collector Anne Gilchrist in the Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, recounting the tune as learned from her Welsh nurse around 1870, suggesting roots in British folk traditions possibly dating to the late 19th century.[1] The song is widely regarded as a lighthearted educational tool.[1] In popular culture, "This Old Man" has been adapted into numerous musical recordings, including versions by Pete Seeger on his 1953 album American Folk Songs for Children and by Raffi in the 1980s, emphasizing its bouncy rhythm and appeal for sing-alongs.[1] It also featured in the 1958 film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness as "The Children's Marching Song," composed by Malcolm Arnold, highlighting its versatility in educational and entertainment contexts.[1] The rhyme remains a staple in early childhood education worldwide, valued for its repetitive structure that aids memory and motor skills through clapping or tapping actions.[2]Lyrics and Structure
Standard Lyrics
The standard lyrics of "This Old Man" consist of ten verses that progressively count from one to ten, each featuring a repetitive refrain and a rhyming couplet tied to a body part or object associated with the number. The rhyme follows a consistent AABB scheme in the opening lines of each verse, where the number rhymes with the location of the "knick-knack" (e.g., one/thumb, two/shoe, three/knee, four/door, five/hive, six/sticks, seven/heaven, eight/gate, nine/spine, ten/again), followed by the unchanging chorus that provides rhythmic continuity through its nonsensical phrasing.[3] Here are the complete traditional English lyrics: This old man, he played one,He played knick-knack on my thumb;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home. This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.[4][3] The phrase "knick-knack paddywhack" serves as a nonsensical filler to maintain the rhyme's playful rhythm and facilitate counting, with no deeper literal meaning beyond enhancing the song's musical flow for children. Historical records show spelling variations such as "paddy whack" or "paddywack," reflecting oral transmission in folk traditions.[1]