Hickory Dickory Dock

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This article is about the nursery rhyme. For the Agatha Christie novel, see Hickory Dickory Dock (novel).
Hickety Dickety Dock, illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, from a 1901 Mother Goose collection
Hickety Dickety Dock, illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, from a 1901 Mother Goose collection
Hickety Dickety Dock, illustrated by Denslow
Hickety Dickety Dock, illustrated by Denslow

Hickory Dickory Dock is a children's nursery rhyme, also sometimes called Hickety Dickety Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down (or "and down he run", or "down the mouse ran")
Hickory Dickory Dock

Another rhyme, Dickery Dickery Dare (or sometimes called "Hickory Dickory Dare") is often used as a second verse to "Hickory Dickory Dock."[1]

Dickery dickery dare
The pig flew up in the air
The man in brown
Soon brought him down
Dickery dickery dare

  1. ^ Hickory Dickory Dock

Contents

[edit] Long Version

Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down!
Hickory Dickory Dock.
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The bird looked at the clock,
The clock struck two 2,
Away she flew,
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The dog barked at the clock,
The clock struck three 3,
Fiddle-de-dee,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The bear slept by the clock,
The clock struck four 4,
He ran out the door,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The bee buzzed round the clock,
The clock struck five 5,
She went to her hive,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The hen pecked at the clock,
The clock struck six 6,
Oh, fiddle-sticks,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The cat ran round the clock,
The clock struck seven 7,
She wanted to get 'em,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The horse jumped over the clock,
The clock struck eight 8,
He ate some cake,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The cow danced on the clock,
The clock struck nine 9,
She felt so fine,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The pig oinked at the clock,
The clock struck ten 10,
She did it again,
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The duck quacked at the clock
The clock struck 11,
The duck said 'oh heavens!'
Hickory Dickory Dock!
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck noon
He's here too soon!
Hickory Dickory Dock!

[edit] Parodies

Hickory Dickory Dock
Three mice ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The other two escaped with minor injuries
Hickory Dickory Dock,
An elephant ran up the clock.
The clock is currently being repaired.
Hickory dickory dock,
Two mice ran up the clock,
The clock struck one and the other one ducked.
Hickory Dickory Dock,
A mouse ran up the clock,
The clock struck one,
The mouse fell down,
Broke his head,
Now he's dead,
Hickory, Dickory, Dock.

[edit] Language and word-play

A book by Luis d'Antin Van Rooten, in which he is allegedly the editor of a manuscript by the fictional François Charles Fernand d’Antin, called Mots d’Heures: Gousses, Rames (the title is in French, but when pronounced, sounds like the English "Mother Goose Rhymes"), contains many poems in French which sound like well-known English nursery rhymes. Here is "Et qui rit des curés d'Oc?" ("Hickory Dickory Dock"):

Et qui rit des curés d'Oc?1
De Meuse2 raines,3 houp! de cloques.4
De quelles loques ce turque coin.
Et ne d'anes ni rennes,
Ecuries des curés d'Oc.

An automated translation renders this in English as:

And who laughs at the priests of Oc?
From Meuse groove, houp! blisters.
Of who wrecks this Turkish corner.
And of neither asses nor reindeers,
Stables of the priests of Oc.

Notes: 1"Oc" (or Languedoc), is an ancient region of France, with its capital at Toulouse.
2"Meuse," or Maas, River, 560 miles long, traversing France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
3"Raines," old French for frogs (from the Latin, ranae)
4"cloques," are warts.

The poem in French is a graceful tribute to the monks of Languedoc, who were a humble and holy group. The poem goes on to warn that those who laugh at the monks will have frogs from the Meuse River jump at them and give them warts. They were so humble that their Turkish Corners are made of rags, and they didn't indulge themselves with fancy mules or reindeer.

"Oc" may refer to Occitania. Van Rooten supplies copious footnotes in a parody of academic scholarship.

The point is that a reader with a knowledge of both English nursery rhymes and intermediate French would at first try to comprehend the meaning of the purported English translation ("aided" by the help of Van Rooten's copious footnotes, which thus become a parody), but then gradually, as it is realized which nursery rhyme is being sabotaged, would find humor in recognizing how cleverly the "editor" constructed the written French text to make the audible English rhyme.

[edit] Trivia

  • It is said that the rhyme alludes to Richard Cromwell's one year reign as Lord Protector of England during the Commonwealth.
  • A Trivial Pursuit question asks "What time did the mouse run up the clock?" The answer is given as 1 o'clock, but this could be wrong since the mouse did not run down until the clock had struck one.
  • The plot of a Hercule Poirot novel by Agatha Christie is loosely based on this nursery rhyme (Hickory Dickory Dock, 1955).
  • As with many other nursery rhymes, there are two substantially different melodies, one associated with Great Britain and the other with North America.
  • In one episode of The Cosby Show, Dr. Huxtable breaks a grandfather clock and his grandchildren see him. To make them not tell anything to Mrs. Huxtable he sings a parody of "Hickory Dickory Dock" but on the second verse he says "I don't know who broke the clock."