Ladybird Ladybird was first published in 1744. It is a traditional rhyme related to the farming community. Ladybirds also have significance and symbolize good luck. It’s said that killing a ladybird would bring bad luck. Kids are encouraged to sing the rhyme when they see a ladybird to help the little insect go back home.
The nursery rhyme has many versions and is popular in the US and the UK. The longer version reads like a lullaby. The shorter version is darker and related to a real incident. Sounds intriguing, right?
Read on to learn more about the rhyme’s origins, symbolism, and both versions of the lyrics.
Written Lyrics
Longer Version:
Lady-bird, Lady-bird, fly away home
the field mouse is gone to her nest
the daisies have shut up their sleepy red eyes
and the birds and the bees are at rest
Lady-bird, Lady-bird, fly away home
the glow worm is lighting her lamp
the dew’s falling fast, and your fine speckled wings
will flag with the close clinging damp
Lady-bird, Lady-bird, fly away home
the fairy bells tinkle afar
make haste or they’ll catch you and harness you fast
with a cobweb to Oberon’s star.
Shorter Version:
Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire and your children are gone,
All except one,
And her name is Ann,
And she hid under the baking pan
Printable Lyrics
Save the printable PDF file to get the lyrics for Ladybird Ladybird nursery rhyme.
Photo Lyrics
Click on the below image to save it on your device.
Video Links
Watch the animated video with the modern version of the lyrics:
Origins and History
Ladybirds are bright little insects considered lucky by many people. The rhyme about ladybirds was first printed in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Songbook Vol. 2 and had a single stanza with four lines. It was a dark song about the ladybird’s home being burnt. The theory goes that this rhyme is medieval folklore about farmers burning hop vines during harvest.
The ladybirds nesting in the vines would fly away, and the larva would crawl to safer places. But the pupae would burn in the heat along with the harvest. The narrator in the rhyme tells the ladybird to fly back home as it is burning and her children are gone. Only one child is left and hiding, so the narrator urges the ladybird to go and save the child.
There’s another backstory related to ladybirds. According to this folklore, the farmers in the Middle Ages in Europe prayed to Virgin Mary to save their crops from insects. It’s said that the ladybirds appeared a few days later and ate all the insects to keep the crops safe.
The ladybirds got the name The Beetles of Our Lady or Lady Beetles since then. Some say that the red wings of the ladybirds represent the Virgin Mary’s cloak and the black spots are joys and sorrows.
However, ladybirds are a favorite in other countries like Sweden, where it is considered that if a ladybird lands on a maiden’s hand, she’ll get married soon.
FAQs
No. Ladybug Ladybug is an American docudrama film directed by Frank Perry in 1963. It showcases the psychological effects of the Cold War on people. There’s another movie titled Ladybird Ladybird released in 1994 in the UK. Directed by Ken Roach, the movie won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.
Yes, it is. Ladybird Ladybird is listed at 16215 in the folksong collection. This English rhyme has German analogs too.
Leave a Reply