Similar with Ten Green Bottles this song is an easy way for kids to learn to count down.

“Ten In The Bed” Singing Game

In kindergarten children can play a simple game on this song by mimicking the lyrics. Lying on the bed or standing all the kids will roll over in the same direction and on each verse one of them will fall down on the floor. The song can start with the number of available children.

It is also a lullaby, a favorite way to get the little ones to sleep. The last verse ends with either “Good Night” or “”Good Bye” or Alone at last” and other variations, depending on when it is sung.

“Ten In The Bed” Lyrics

There were ten in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and
one fell out

There were nine in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out

There were eight in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There were seven in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There were six in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There were five in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There were four in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There were three in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There were two in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over and one fell out

There was one in the bed
And the little one said,
“Alone at last!”
“Good Night!”

The song was collected and published in 1937 by the nursery rhymes collector Anne Gilchrist in “Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society”, as she remembered it from her Welsh nurse from the 1870s.

Some years before another version of the song was recorded in the “English Folk-Songs for Schools” collection published in 1906 by the Cecil Sharp and Sabine Baring-Gould.

“This Old Man” Lyrics

This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in heaven;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again;
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

The orginal version of this rhyme “Ten Little Injuns” dates back to 1868 and was published by irish songwriter Septimus Winner for minstrel show. Bellow there are both the old version and also de modern lyrics of the song.

“Ten Little Indians” Lyrics

Modern Version

Ten little Injuns standin’ in a line,
One toddled home and then there were nine;
Nine little Injuns swingin’ on a gate,
One tumbled off and then there were eight.
Eight little Injuns gayest under heav’n.
One went to sleep and then there were seven;
Seven little Injuns cuttin’ up their tricks,
One broke his neck and then there were six.
Six little Injuns all alive,
One kicked the bucket and then there were five;
Five little Injuns on a cellar door,
One tumbled in and then there were four.
Four little Injuns up on a spree,
One got fuddled and then there were three;
Three little Injuns out on a canoe,
One tumbled overboard and then there were two.
Two little Injuns foolin’ with a gun,
One shot t’other and then there was one;
One little Injun livin’ all alone,
He got married and then there were none.

“Ten Little Indians” Original Version

One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian boys.
Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians
Seven little, six little, five little Indians
Four little, three little, two little Indians
One little Indian boy.

“Ten Green Bottles” singing game

Ten green bottles is an easy and fun way for kids to learn to count down. Here is how to play: 

Draw each number on separate cards, starting with the number 1 and ending with the number of children available to play, and hang them on each children so they all can see it.

The children will dance in a circle, holding hands singing the lyrics of the song. They will have to fall down one by one until all of them will lay down, each time they say the verse: “And if one green bottle should accidentally fall”. The children will have to point who is the one who will fall down, based on their numbers.

Later, after the kids know better how to count, the game can move to the next level: instead of drawing the cards, each child will have to memorize a number to know when it is their turn to fall down.

The word “hanging” is sometimes replaced by “sitting” or “standing”.

“Ten Green Bottles” Lyrics

Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be nine green bottles hanging on the wall.

Nine green bottles hanging on the wall,
Nine green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be eight green bottles hanging on the wall.

Eight green bottles hanging on the wall,
Eight green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be seven green bottles hanging on the wall.

Seven green bottles hanging on the wall,
Seven green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be six green bottles hanging on the wall.

Six green bottles hanging on the wall,
Six green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be five green bottles hanging on the wall.

Five green bottles hanging on the wall,
Five green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be four green bottles hanging on the wall.

Four green bottles hanging on the wall,
Four green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be three green bottles hanging on the wall.

Three green bottles hanging on the wall,
Three green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be two green bottles hanging on the wall.

Two green bottles hanging on the wall,
Two green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be one green bottles hanging on the wall.

One green bottles hanging on the wall,
One green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be zero green hanging hanging on the wall.

Along with “One Two Buckle My Shoe” it is another great tool for parents and teachers to help the kids recognize and memorize the numbers.

The song dates back to the late 18th century being published in one of the oldest children songs books collection called “Mother Goose’s Melody” in the 1760s. A longer version of the song was published only later in the 1880s, by the American nursery rhymes collector Henry Bolton.

“1 2 3 4 5 Song” Lyrics

Modern version

One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right

“One Two Three Four and Five” Original lyrics

One, two, three,
Four and five,
I caught a hare alive;
Six, seven, eight,
Nine and ten,
I let him go again

It was heard for the first time around 1780 somewhere around Wrentham, Massachusetts. However the first published version of this traditional nursery rhyme is found in London in a children songs book called “Songs for the Nursery” that appeared in 1805. A different version of the song appears in 1810 in Gammer Gurton’ Garland aka “Nursery Parnassus”.

The main purpose of the song is to teach kids how to count. Originally the song might describe a regular day of lace-makers who were traditional workers back in the 17th and 18th centuries: 1, 2, buckle my shoe would mean that the workers are getting ready to work; 3, 4 shut the door – the workers are now in their workshop; 5, 6, pick up stick – getting their tools (wooden sticks were tools used at the lance-making machine in the past); 7, 8, lay them straight – fixing the sticks; 9, 10, a big fat hen – one possibility is that is describing a kind of support for the lacework (more like a pillow), or simply it refers at the dinner time as the song continues with references at kitchen and plates.

The lyrics may have much literal interpretation; the truth is that the original meaning of traditional songs like this can be lost back in time, and only suppositions can be made about their real symbols.

“One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” Lyrics

Modern version

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 plate’s empty

“One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” Original lyrics

Thirteen, fourteen, draw the curtain,
Fifteen sixteen, the maid’s in the kitchen,
Seventeen, eighteen, she’s in waiting,
Nineteen, twenty, my stomach’s empty

Originally, the lyrics were associated with magpies which were bringing good or bad luck. It is said that depending on how many little magpies one sees a day, a blessed or an unhappy event will happen to him or her.

“One for Sorrow” is a counting song, therefore for each number of magpies seen on a day there is a prediction. Today it might also refer to some other similar birds, especially in some countries or regions where magpies cannot be easily spotted.

The lyrics of “One for Sorrow” have been changed over the times. The oldest known version of the song dates back to the late 18th century, and was found in a note by John Brand in Observations on Popular Antiquities, Lincolnshire, 1780. Later on, in the early 19th century it appears in a “Proverbs and Popular saying” book, collected from oral tradition and published by M. A. Denham, in 1846, London.

“One for Sorrow” Lyrics

Modern version

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told,
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss
Ten for a bird
You must not miss.

“One for Sorrow” Original lyrics

One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a wedding,
And four for death

There are no many evidences about its origins and author.

Similar with the “Ten Green Bottles” each verse of the song is repeated: one by one all little frogs jump in the pool until none remains. It is a very entertaining song for the kids and it is sometimes used in conjunction with swimming lessons.

“Five Little Speckled Frogs” Lyrics

Five little speckled frogs
FIVE little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum Yum.

One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were FOUR speckled frogs (OR) Now there are how many frogs? FOUR!
Glug Glug.

FOUR little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum Yum.

One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were THREE speckled frogs (OR) Now there are how many frogs? THREE!
Glug Glug.

THREE little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum Yum.

One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were TWO speckled frogs (OR) Now there are how many frogs? TWO!
Glug Glug.

TWO little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum Yum.

One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there was ONE speckled frog (OR) Now there are how many frogs? ONE!
Glug Glug.

ONE little speckled frog
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum Yum.

He jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were NO speckled frogs (OR) Now there are how many frogs? NONE!
Glug Glug.