London Bridge Is Falling Down - The Nursery Rhyme Collections

London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair Lady.

Take a key and lock her up
Lock her up, lock her up
Take a key and lock her up
My fair Lady

How will we build it up?
Build it up, build it up?
How will we build it up?
My fair Lady

Build it up with gold and silver
Gold and silver, gold and silver
Build it up with gold and silver
My fair Lady

Gold and Silver I have none
I have none, I have none
Gold and Silver I have none
My fair Lady

Build it up with Pins and Needles
Pins and Needles, Pins and Needles
Build it up with Pins and Needles
My fair Lady

Pins and Needles bend and break
Bend and break, bend and break
Pins and Needles bend and break
My fair Lady

Build it up with wood and clay
Wood and clay, wood and clay
Build it up with wood and clay
My fair Lady

Wood and clay will wash away
Wash away, wash away
Wood and clay will wash away
My fair Lady

Build it up with stone so strong
Stone so strong, stone so strong
Build it up with stone so strong
My fair Lady

Stone so strong will last so long
Last so long, last so long
Stone so strong will last so long
My fair Lady

Words & Music: Traditional
Arrangement: Ian J Watts
Orchestral Arrangement: Rick Benbow

Origin and background

This nursery rhyme refers to the historic bridge that connects the City of London and Southwark. At this location there has been a bridge since more than 2000 years, first built of wood by the Romans, about the year 50 BC. It is reported that it was torched in 1014 during the attack of the Danes, but we may assume that it has collapsed more than one time during the 1,000 years before that incident. There are other destructions reported from 1091 and 1136. So there certainly is a historical core to the aspect of the bridge "falling down". But there is another aspect: The different kind of material that is suggested throughout the song to build up the bridge again. The song suggests that there was some disagreement regarding the materials to be used. There is no historical proof for that discussion and indeed it doesn't seem to be very reasonable to use gold and silver to build a bridge. So it is quite likely that all different kind of materials are suggested in order to teach the children the different quality of various materials. And indeed the construction of 1209 was made of stone according to the last verse of the rhyme. But what about the verse "Take a key and look her up"? "There is a theory that superstition in those days demanded for a child or a virgin to be locked within the foundation in order to make the bridge remain but there is no historical proof for it. More realistic is the theory about the "Fair Lady" mentioned in the nursery rhyme. This seems to refer to Queen Eleanor de Provence who had custody of the bridge revenues from 1269. A port of the revenue should have been used to maintain the bridge but obviously something went wrong at some time.

Next Song