Many traditional folk songs have become nursery rhymes over the years. She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain is no different. It was inspired by the spiritual song When the Chariot Comes.
The nursery rhyme was first published as Round the Mountain in The American Songbag in 1927. The anthology of American folksongs was compiled by Carl Sandburg.
Like many other nursery rhymes, it has several versions with added or removed lines. In some, the color of the pajamas is changed from red to pink. Read on to find the lyrics and history behind Round the Mountain.
Written Lyrics
She'll be coming round the mountain
When she comes,
She'll be coming round the mountain
When she comes,
She'll be coming round the mountain,
Coming round the mountain,
Coming round the mountain
When she comes.
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee, Aye Aye Yippee”,
“Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”.
She'll be driving six white horses
When she comes,
She'll be driving six white horses
When she comes,
She'll be driving six white horses,
Driving six white horses,
Driving six white horses when she comes.
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee, Aye Aye Yippee”,
“Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”.
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her
When she comes,
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her
When she comes,
Oh, we'll all go out to meet her,
All go out to meet her,
All go out to meet her
When she comes.
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee, Aye Aye Yippee”,
“Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”.
She'll be wearing pink pyjamas
When she comes,
She'll be wearing pink pyjamas
When she comes,
She'll be wearing pink pyjamas,
Wearing pink pyjamas,
Wearing pink pyjamas
When she comes.
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”,
Singin’ “Aye Aye Yippee, Aye Aye Yippee”,
“Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye”.
Printable Lyrics
Download the PDF file with lyrics to the nursery rhyme.
Photo Lyrics
Click on the image to save the lyrics to your device.
Video Links
Watch the animated video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E1o6_xgp4g
Origins and History
The original song (When the Chariot Comes) was published in the Old Plantation Hymns (1899). The spiritual song refers to the Second Coming of Christ and Rapture. The ‘she’ in the rhyme is not a person but a chariot. It was sung by African Americans and later adopted by the railway workers working on the Midwestern US railway lane.
In fact, there’s a theory that the original was a coded anthem for the Underground Railroad, a secret passageway used by enslaved African-Americans to escape to free countries. The version adopted by the railway workers has a few differences but continues the theme and tune. The nursery rhyme published in The American Songbag is the version sung by railway workers.
The song gradually became a part of campfire singing and entered children’s books over the years. It was recorded multiple times by the mid-1920s. This led to several variants of the lyrics. The 1985 version published in Reader’s Digest had new lyrics by Dan Fox and his son, Paul. The refrain was multiplied to make the song longer.
The version we shared has an added refrain, ‘Aye Aye Yippee Yippee Aye’. It seems like something to make kids laugh and remember the nursery rhyme easily. The children’s version is just a fun song with no specific meaning or spiritual significance.
There are German and Dutch versions of the song, where ‘she’ is not a chariot but a person. The songs have a lady riding a camel with pistols in her hands. There’s another version (with adult humor) sung in Norway, which isn't appropriate for children.
FAQs
Yes. You can find the song in animated films like Mickey’s Trailer (1938), Timber (1941), Peanuts (1977), etc. Many people use the melody and replace the lyrics with their own to create new songs.
Not exactly. Some people did refer to Mother Jones using the song. She was a prominent labor activist, after all.
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