Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John

"Diddle Diddle Dumpling" redirects here. For the Inside No. 9 episode, see Diddle Diddle Dumpling (Inside No. 9). For the Irish anti-war folk song known as "My Son John", see Mrs. McGrath.

"Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19709.

Lyrics

One modern version is:

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,

Went to bed with his trousers on;

One shoe off, and the other shoe on,

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.[1]

Alternate versions include:

Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John

Went to bed with his britches on.

One shoe off, and one shoe on;

Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John.[2]

Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John,

Went to bed with his stockings on;

One shoe off, and one shoe on,

Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John.[3]

Origins

The rhyme is first recorded in The Newest Christmas Box published in London around 1797. It may be derived from 'Diddle, diddle, diddle Dumpling', a traditional street cry of hot dumpling sellers.[1]

References

1. I. Opie and P. Opie (1951). The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 245–6. (2nd ed. 1997)
2. Wright, The Original Mother Goose (1916), as quoted on mothergooseclub.com
3. Smith, The Little Mother Goose (1912), as quoted on mothergooseclub.com

• BBC 'Inside number 9' TV episode with the same name
• Sky's British black comedy 'Hunderby', set in the 1830s, features the song as evening entertainment accompanied by a traditional crumhorn.