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Home » Nursery Rhymes

Published: Jan 30, 2023 by Birute Efe · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Clap Hands Printable Lyrics, Origins, and Video

Several nursery rhymes have ‘clap hands’ in the lyrics. It’s a fun way to involve kids in learning, isn’t it? Clap Hands, Clap Hands! has similar intentions. While there is very little information about its origins, we have something to share with you. 

This Irish/ Scottish song has multiple variants. Some have added verses to make it longer. There are a few modern versions that go into details of the whats, whens, and hows of the story in the lyrics. 

Read on to get the lyrics of Clap Hands. 

Jump to:
  • Written Lyrics
  • Printable Lyrics 
  • Photo Lyrics 
  • Video Links
  • Origins and History
  • FAQs

Written Lyrics

Version One: 

Clap hands! clap hands!
Till father comes home;
For father's got money,
But mother's got none.

Version Two:

Clap hands, clap hands,
Till Daddy comes home,
With buns in his pocket
For Maisie alone.

Clap hands, clap hands,
Till Daddy comes home,
For Daddy has money
And Mammy has none.

Printable Lyrics 

Click on the link to download the PDF to print a copy of Clap Hands nursery rhyme. 

Photo Lyrics 

Save the below image to get a copy of the lyrics. 

Clap Hands lyrics

Video Links

Here’s a short animated version of the nursery rhyme: 

 

Origins and History

There is no information about the origins of the Clap Hands rhyme. The best we could find is that it belongs to the Scottish and Irish regions. The lyrics of the original are simple and limited to a single stanza of four lines. The kids are happy that the father comes home (after work). He earned his pay and has money, but the mother who stays at home doesn’t have any. 

In times when women weren’t allowed to go out and work, they had to rely on their husbands to bring money. Women had money if husbands gave them a share of their earnings (mostly to manage the household and kids). Some women had nothing if men did the spending or used the money for their personal purchases (drink). 

Al Donahue, an American vocalist, presented a slightly different version of the original in 1938. The new lyrics were written by Nat Simon. The song has four stanzas where the first two lines of each stanza are the same. They refer to the original nursery rhyme but with a slight change. 

Instead of ‘fathers got money, but mothers got none’, the new lyrics say, ‘Daddy's got money and Mom'll have some’. This emphasizes that the father should share his earnings with his wife. The song continues to talk about family expenses and how payday was a reason to eat good food and celebrate by listening to a record and dancing to the songs. 

FAQs

Why do nursery rhymes ask kids to clap their hands? 

It’s a simple yet effective technique to involve children and keep them interested in the lessons. Kids love making noise. What better than a rhyme that tells them to clap their hands? It prevents kids from getting bored or dozing off in class. 

Can the nursery rhyme be personalized? 

Of course! There is a personalized version of the rhyme, where the last two lines in the first stanza are, ‘with buns in his pocket, for Maisie alone’. You can replace Maisie with your child’s name. 

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