Baa Baa Black Sheep
One of the oldest nursery rhymes in the English language
Listen
Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Baa baa black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the master and
One for the dame
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane
(You try singing at home now.
And join in with me)
Baa baa black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the master and
One for the dame
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane
(Your turn to sing again, louder still!
I can't hear you!)
(Let's all sing together, last time!)
Baa baa black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the master and
One for the dame
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane
(Great singing, give yourself a round of applause)
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
Baa Baa Black Sheep is one of the oldest surviving English nursery rhymes, first recorded in print in 1744 in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book — the earliest known collection of English nursery rhymes. The lyrics have remained remarkably consistent across the centuries.
The most widely discussed historical theory connects the rhyme to the medieval wool trade. Some historians link it to the export tax on wool imposed by King Edward I in 1275, under which a third of the value went to the Crown (the master), a third to the Church or nobility (the dame), and a third remained for the producer (the little boy who lives down the lane) — though this interpretation is contested and cannot be proved conclusively.
The "black sheep" detail is itself significant. Black wool is difficult or impossible to dye, making it less commercially valuable than white wool. In practical terms, black sheep were a problem for a wool farmer hoping to produce a consistent, marketable product. This lends the rhyme a quiet realism: the black sheep has wool, but it is not the most desirable kind.
The melody shared by Baa Baa Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the Alphabet Song all derive from the French tune "Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman," first published in 1761 — itself made famous by Mozart's twelve variations composed around 1781. The fact that three such well-loved songs share the same tune has made this melody one of the most recognised in the world.
Historical background sourced from Wikipedia.
