Cock-a-Doodle-Doo
Cock a doodle do!
My dame has lost her shoe,
My master's lost his fiddlestick,
And knows not what to do.
The nursery rhyme Cock-a-Doodle-Doo dates back to 17th-century England and was sung to mimic a rooster’s crow. It was first printed much later, in Mother Goose’s Melody (1765) — where the publisher jokingly claimed it was the very first song ever sung. Over time, three additional verses were added, turning the rhyme into a playful little story.
The full four-verse version reads:
Cock a doodle do!
My dame has lost her shoe,
My master's lost his fiddlestick,
And knows not what to do.
Cock a doodle do!
What is my dame to do?
Till master's found his fiddlingstick,
She'll dance without her shoe.
Cock a doodle do!
My dame has found her shoe,
And master's found his fiddlingstick,
Sing cock a doodle do!
Cock a doodle do!
My dame will dance with you,
While master fiddles his fiddlingstick,
And knows not what to do.
Rooster calls sound different around the world, and this rhyme highlights that same playful imitation of animal sounds. French children say cocorico, Italians chicchirichì, and German and Czech children say kikeriki. Russian children crow kukareku, and in Icelandic, the call becomes gaggalagó. The English “cock-a-doodle-doo” is simply one version among many — proof that while the sound of a rooster may be universal, the way we write it isn’t.
1. A simple retelling
The rhyme describes a rooster crowing while the household searches for a missing shoe and a fiddlestick, turning a simple mishap into a playful scene.
2. The characters
Main figures: The dame, the master, and the rooster
Object of interest: The shoe and fiddlestick
3. Setting
Likely a home or farmyard, with the rooster crowing nearby.
4. Theme
Playful imitation and everyday chaos turned humorous.
5. Moral
No clear lesson — it’s mainly a fun rhyme built around rhythm and silliness.
