The Lady with the Alligator Purse has been a popular song in America for many years, with most children being able to recite the lines of the song with ease. The song tells us the tale of Miss Lucy who has a child that wants to eat everything and who the doctor can’t cure. Enter the lady with the alligator purse who offers some sage advice about feeding the child a pizza and the problem is solved!
This rhyme is most often used as part of a clapping game in the classroom that helps children to start understanding the basics of rhyme but it has also been used in skipping rope games too. There is also a ruder version of the song that is popular with children when they are not being supervised by adults.
The tune of the rhyme is the same as the Merry Go Round Broke Down which was used for the Looney Tunes theme tune!
The Lady with the Alligator Purse Lyrics
Miss Lucy had a baby, his name was Tiny Tim
She put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap
He tried to eat the bathtub but it wouldn’t go down his throat
Miss Lucy called the doctor, Miss Lucy called the nurse
Miss Lucy called the lady with the alligator purse
In came the doctor, in came the nurse.
In came the lady with the alligator purse
“Chicken pox,” said the doctor, “Measles,” said the nurse
“Nonsense,” said the lady with the alligator purse
“Penicillin,” said the doctor, “Castor oil,” said the nurse
“Pizza,” said the lady with alligator purse