The Wheels on the Bus
| "The Wheels on the Bus" | |
|---|---|
| song by Lydia Ulsaker | |
| Genre | children's song |
| Writer | Lydia Ulsaker |
| Language | English |
"The Wheels on the Bus" is a United Kingdom folk song dating no later than 1939 written by Lydia Ulsaker.[1] It is a popular children's song in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom and is often sung by children on bus trips to keep themselves amused. It has a very repetitive rhythm, making the song easy for a large number of people to sing, in a manner similar to the song "99 Bottles of Beer". It is based on the traditional British song "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". The song is also sometimes sung to the tune of "Buffalo Gals", as in the version done by Raffi.
Lyrics
Generally the song is sung with reference to common objects or people that one might find on a bus:
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All day long.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
Swish, swish, swish.
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
All day long.
The driver on the bus goes "Move on back!",
"Move on back!",
"Move on back!".
The driver on the bus goes "Move on back!",
All day long.
The people on the bus go up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down.
The people on the bus go up and down,
All day long.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
Beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
All day long.
The baby on the bus goes "Wah, wah, wah",
"Wah, wah, wah",
"Wah, wah, wah".
The baby on the bus goes "Wah, wah, wah".
All day long.
The parents on the bus go "Shh, shh, shh",
"Shh, shh, shh",
"Shh, shh, shh".
The parents on the bus go "Shh, shh, shh".
All day long.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All day long.
These lyrics can sometimes be continued until there aren't anymore objects or people left on the bus to name, or the participants get a little bored.
Mad Donna's cover version
| "Wheels on the bus" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Mad Donna | |
| Released | 4 May 2002 |
| Format | CD single |
| Length | 2:25 |
| Label | Star Habour/All Around The World Disco 0202R |
In 2002 British Madonna impersonator "Mad Donna" had a hit with the song, featuring a version of Madonna's "Ray of Light" over which the classic children's song was sung. The single reached #17 in the United Kingdom and also made the charts elsewhere in Europe.[2]
References
- ↑ American Childhood, vol. 25, 1939, p. 56
- ↑ Mad Donna - "The Wheels On The Bus" at discogs.com