Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
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"Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" is a children's song sung to the tune of the traditional folksong "There is a Tavern in the Town" [1] The song has been documented as early as 1961.[2]
Description
There is generally only one verse with lyrics similar to those below. The second line repeats the first line both in words and in melody, the third line has a rising tone, and the fourth line repeats the first two. Children might dance while they sing the song, and touch their head, shoulders, knees and toes, in sequence while singing each word.
Lyrics
The following lyrics are taken from the children's music database of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences:
-
- Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
- Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
- And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
- Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Additional verses are sung by omitting the first word sung in the previous verse, and, instead, children touch their body parts, without actually saying the word. For example:
-
- Verse 2
- ----, shoulders, knees and toes
-
- Verse 3
- ----, ----, knees and toes
-
- Verse 4
- ----, ----, ---- ---- toes
-
- Verse 5
- ----, ----, ---- ---- ----
This pattern continues until the children are silently touching their body parts in rhythm with the song. The last verse consists of no actual singing, just touching what would have been sung or repeating the first verse in a quicker tempo.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Witte Austin, Dorothy. "Troubadour Pleases Playground Audiences". Milwaukee Journal, July 18, 1961, Part 2-p. 6. Retrieved on July 3, 2014.
External links
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