Do Your Ears Hang Low is a quirky and peppy nursery rhyme with several variations. It is said to represent the ears of a hound though there’s an adult version too (more about it later). The rhyme is sung at campfires, birthdays, and other parties to entertain the kids.
The first stanza of the rhyme is the most popular, while the other stanzas have different lyrics and are modified to suit the audience. The UK version uses just the first stanza and has edited the lyrics a bit (the continental soldier becomes a regimental soldier).
Continue reading for more background details about the nursery rhyme.
Written Lyrics
Longer Version:
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie 'em in a knot?
Can you tie 'em in a bow?
Can you throw 'em o'er your shoulder
Like a continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
Do your ears stand high?
Do they reach up to the sky?
Do they droop when they are wet?
Do they stiffen when they're dry?
Can you wave them at your neighbor
With an element of flavor?
Do your ears stand high?
Do your ears flip-flop?
Can you use them as a mop?
Are they stringy at the bottom?
Are they curly at the top?
Can you use them for a swatter?
Can you use them for a blotter?
Do your ears flip-flop?
Do your ears stick out?
Can you waggle them about?
Can you flap them up and down
As you fly around the town?
Can you shut them up for sure
When you hear an awful bore?
Do your ears stick out?
Do your ears give snacks?
Are they all filled up with wax?
Do you eat it in the morning
Do you eat it in the bath?
Do you eat it with a scone
Or do you eat it on its own?
Do your ears give snacks?
Printable Lyrics
Download the printable PDF of the lyrics by clicking here.
Photo Lyrics
Save the below image to get the lyrics of the rhyme.
Video Links
Here’s an animated version of the nursery rhyme which follows a question and answer format:
Check out the Peppa Pig version here:
We’ve got the link to Barney’s version:
Origins and History
The rhyme uses the melody of Turkey in the Straw (abridged version). However, some people use the melody from Sailor's Hornpipe or The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers to sing this rhyme.
It appears that the origins of the song can be traced back to 1838 when George Washington Dixon wrote Zip Coon (Turkey in the Straw). While some claim the song resulted in parody/ adult versions with vulgar lyrics, others say it’s the opposite.
Edward Beryl Cray or Ed Cray, a popular folklorist, said that Do Your Balls Hang Low is the first version, and Do Your Ears Hang Low is a sanitized version that later became a nursery rhyme.
Apparently, the ‘balls’ version first appeared in 1900. The song was sung by the British soldiers during WWI. In fact, Lyn MacDonald, a British military historian, shares an anecdote from 1916. General Douglas Haig heard his troops singing the song and found that the colonel leading the soldiers was singing it along with them. The General appears to have told the colonel that he liked the tune but not the lyrics. Interesting!
There’s a Norwegian variant of the rhyme, Hvis dine ører henger ned, released in 1971. The lyrics roughly translate to ‘if your ears hang down’.
You can also find a hip version of the rhyme created by Jovan Campbell, aka Jibbs. He called it the Chain Hand Low. It was his debut single album released in 2006.
FAQs
Yes. If Your Ears Hand Low is listed at 15472 in the collection of English folksongs.
The Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War in 1775. It consisted of soldiers from the Thirteen American Colonies.
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