The North Wind Doth Blow

The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow,
And what will the robin do then, poor thing,
He’ll sit in a barn, and keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

This song finishes off with the lovely action of hiding your head under your arm, a class of kids look very sweet doing this! An evocative song for those chilly February days.

This turn-of-the-century illustration and music page is by Walter Crane and comes from my Aunt’s copy of his book ‘The Baby’s Bouquet’ which she handed down to me. The song was first published in 1805 in Songs for a Nursery, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes.

Also, here are some further verses not included in my version.

2. The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the doormouse do then?
Poor thing.

She’ll curl in a ball,
In her nest oh-so small,
And wait for the coming of spring,
Poor thing.

3. The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the daisies do then?
Poor things.

They’ll stay in the grass,
‘Til winter has passed,
And wait for the coming of spring,
Poor things.

4. The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the swallows do then?
Poor things.

Oh say, don’t you know?
They were gone long ago,
To a country much warmer than this,
Poor things.

I hadn’t come across these extra verses before doing my internet research, but for the classroom they are a useful addition.

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