Lucy Locket

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Lucy Locket is an English nursery rhyme.

Lucy Locket lost her pocket,

Kitty Fisher found it;

Not a penny was there in it,

Only ribbon round it.

The tune for Lucy Locket was later used as the basis for Yankee Doodle, a song which originated in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Contents 1 Explanation 2 Versions in other languages 2.1 Bengali lyrics 3 External references

[edit] Explanation

Lucy Locket was a barmaid at the Cock, in Fleet Street, London, sometime in the 1700s. Lucy discarded one of her lovers (her 'pocket') when she had run through all his money. Kitty Fisher, a noted courtesan, took up with him, even though he had no money.

[edit] Versions in other languages

[edit] Bengali lyrics

The song Laal jhuti kakatua, set to the Lucy Locket melody, is a favorite among the Bengali people. It goes:

Bengali lyrics	English translation
Laal jhuti kakatua dhorechhey je bayena Chai taar laal phite chiruni aar ayena.	A red-tufted cockatoo has a whim She wants a comb and a red ribbon.

It is not clear where the Bengalis picked it up and how old this version is. In all likelihood it was taken from the Yankee Doodle version, not from the original English version.

[edit] External references

• All Info About Nursery Rhymes entry for Lucy Locket.
• Sense And Sensuality. Chapter 9 of Sex In History by Gordon Rattray Taylor.