One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe is a nursery rhyme.
- One, two, buckle my shoe
- Three, four, knock at the door
- Five, six, pick up sticks
- Seven, eight, lay them straight
- Nine, ten, a big fat hen
- Eleven, twelve, dig and delve
- Thirteen, fourteen, maids a'courting
- Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen
- Seventeen, eighteen, maids a'waiting
- Nineteen, twenty, my platter's empty ...
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[edit] Origins
These nursery rhyme lyrics were originally taught to children after the great plagues swept Europe in the Middle Ages. One two buckle my shoe referred to the special shoes one had to wear to pick up dead bodies, pick up sticks and lay them straight referred to the dead bodies one would carry to the mass graves.
[edit] Lace Tell
Part of this rhyme forms the most famous of the English "Lace Tells", or short songs sung by the makers of bobbin lace as an aid in this repetitive work. An annotated version follows:
One, two, buckle my shoe: The lacemaker is getting up in the morning.
Three, four, shut the door: Making the house or schoolroom quiet for work.
Five, six, pick up sticks: A direct reference to the wooden or bone bobbins used in lacemaking.
Seven, eight, lay them straight: A working direction to place the bobbins properly on the pillow before proceeding to the next movement.
Nine, ten, a big fat hen: A direct reference to the large pillow used for bobbin lace. Particularly, the Honiton or Bedfordshire Maltese pillows are fat, round, and not too unlike a big fat hen. A paper or parchment pattern is fastened to the pillow, with the lace design pricked out in small holes. The bobbins are wound with thread and are attached to the pattern in pairs. Each pair is crossed or twisted by the lacemaker to make 'stitches'. Each 'stitch' is secured with pins placed in the pinholes. The pillow is stuffed hard with straw to form a secure base for the pins.
[edit] Parodies
In the medical field a slightly different version of the rhyme becomes a very useful aide memoir for the reflexes.
One, two, buckle my shoe - refers to the ankle jerk reflex. The nerve roots that supply it originate from the first and second sacral roots i.e. S1 and S2.
Three, four, kneel on the floor - the knee jerk, which is supplied by nerves from the lumbar roots L3 and L4.
Five, six, pick up sticks - flexion of the forearm refers to the biceps. The biceps reflex is supplied by nerves from the cervical roots C5 and C6.
Seven, eight, lay them straight - extension of the arm by the triceps muscle. The triceps jerk is supplied by C7 and C8.
The reflexes and their associated root origins have been known for many centuries and it may have been that the rhyme had evolved from this medical memory aid.
[edit] References in popular culture
A 1940 Agatha Christie novel used the rhyme in its title and story structure.
A form of this nursery rhyme appears in several of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies being chanted by children:
- One, two, Freddy's coming for you.
- Three, four, better lock your door.
- Five, six, grab your crucifix.
- Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.
- Nine, ten, never sleep again.
In the Futurama episode, "Less Than Hero," after Leela says she is stopping a villain at 9 and meeting her parents at 10, Bender says, "Nine, ten, a big fat hen. The name, Bender."
In the Ed, Edd, n Eddy episode "Ed-n-Seek," Ed counts the first six numbers as "One, two, got some glue/Three, four, at the store/Five, six, meat really stinks." Eddy interrupts Ed's count with "98, 99, 100."
In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Hush", a variation of the rhyme is sung by a little girl to provide Buffy with a clue about the "Gentlemen" and how to defeat them.
The words, "One, two, buckle my shoe." count off the song "America Drinks" on the 1967 album "Absolutely Free" by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.
A portion of the rhyme appears in the lyrics of the Korn song "Shoots and Ladders" off their debut album, along with other nursery rhymes. The song was meant as a mockery of the dreaded history and origins of some of the nursery rhymes present in the song, including the name which mocks that of the board game Chutes and Ladders, also known as Snakes and Ladders outside the US.
The first 4 verses appear in the lyrics of "New world" by Reamonn.
