One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

This article is about the nursery rhyme. For the Agatha Christie novel, see One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (novel).

"One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" Roud #11284
Written by	Traditional
Published	1805
Written	England
Language	English
Form	Nursery rhyme

"One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" is a popular English language nursery rhyme and counting-out rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11284.

Lyrics

Common modern versions include:

One, two,

Buckle my shoe;

Three, four,

Knock at the door;

Five, six,

Pick up sticks;

Seven, eight,

Lay them straight:

Nine, ten,

A big fat hen;

Eleven, twelve,

Dig and delve;

Thirteen, fourteen,

Maids a-courting;

Fifteen, sixteen,

Maids in the kitchen;

Seventeen, eighteen,

Maids a-waiting

Nineteen, twenty,

My plate's empty.^[1]

Origins and meaning

The rhyme is one of many counting-out rhymes. It was first recorded in Songs for the Nursery, published in London in 1805. This version differed beyond the number twelve, with the lyrics:

Thirteen, fourteen, draw the curtain,

Fifteen sixteen, the maids in the kitchen,

Seventeen, eighteen, she's in waiting,

Nineteen, twenty, my stomach's empty.^[1]

A version published five years later in Gammer Gurton's Garland (1810) had the different lines:

Three, four, Lay down lower ...

Eleven twelve, Who will delve...

Fifteen, sixten, Maidsa-kissing...

Nineteen, twenty, My Belly's empty.^[1]

According to Henry Bolton, collector of counting rhymes in the 1880s, the rhyme was used in Wrentham, Massachusetts as early as 1780.^[1]

References in popular culture

• A 1940 Agatha Christie novel used the rhyme in its title and story structure. Christie's version of the rhyme has the variation "Eleven, twelve, men must delve".

• The rhyme is used in medicine as a mnemonic for dealing with reflexes.

• A form of this nursery rhyme appears in several of the A Nightmare on Elm Street (from 1984) movies being chanted by children:

One, two, Freddy's coming for you.

Three, four, better lock your door.

Five, six, grab your crucifix.

Seven, eight, gotta stay up late.

Nine, ten, never sleep again.^[2]

• During his initial promotions, WWE wrestler the Boogeyman used a variation the above song.

• It is also sung in the propaganda cartoon The Ducktators (1942) to mock Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito.

• The words, "One, two, buckle my shoe." count off the song "America Drinks" on the 1967 album Absolutely Free by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

• It was also used in metal band KoRn's song "Shoots and Ladders" (1995).

• David and Punchinello did that rhyme while playing balls in "Wee Sing Grandpa's Magical Toys".

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 333-4.
2. ^ One. Two. Freddy's Callin' for You!