"Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19709.
Contents
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.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. 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.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.
References
Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA