Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John

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

Lyrics

The most commonly used 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

4. BBC 'Inside number 9' TV episode with the same name