Two Fat Gentlemen
A finger play song with fat gentlemen, thin ladies, tall policemen and little babies
Listen
Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Two fat gentlemen
Met in a lane,
Bowed most politely
And bowed once again.
"How do you do?"
And "How do you do?"
And "How do you do?" again.
Two thin ladies
Met in a lane,
Bowed most politely
And bowed once again.
"How do you do?"
And "How do you do?"
And "How do you do?" again.
Two tall policemen
Met in a lane,
Bowed most politely
And bowed once again.
"How do you do?"
And "How do you do?"
And "How do you do?" again.
Two naughty schoolboys
Met in a lane,
Bowed most politely
And bowed once again.
"How do you do?"
And "How do you do?"
And "How do you do?" again.
Two little babies
Met in a lane,
Bowed most politely
And bowed once again.
"How do you do?"
And "How do you do?"
And "How do you do?" again.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
"Two Fat Gentlemen" is a traditional finger play song in which each verse is performed by holding up two fingers — or two thumbs, or two index fingers — and making them bow to each other. The song introduces five pairs of characters: fat gentlemen, thin ladies, tall policemen, naughty schoolboys and little babies. In each verse the characters meet politely in a lane and exchange the same formal greeting, regardless of who they are.
The song works as a counting exercise — five pairs, ten fingers in total — and as an introduction to social courtesy, since every pair, however unlikely, bows politely and exchanges pleasantries. There is something gently funny about naughty schoolboys bowing most politely, and something sweet about two little babies doing the same.
The finger play element makes this a popular song for early years settings, where the repeated structure allows children to anticipate each new pair and the actions give them something to do with their hands. The music for this recording was written by Mike Wilbury with an orchestral arrangement by Rick Benbow, giving the song a bright, cheerful character that suits the formality of its endlessly polite characters.
