Hickory Dickory Dock

DESCRIPTION: "Hickory Dickory Dock, A mouse ran up the clock, The clock struck one, The mouse fell down...." Other time-related verses may be added. Perhaps sometimes used to determine who is "it" for a game
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1744 (Tom Thumb's Pretty Song Book)
KEYWORDS: animal nonballad
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes 217, "Hickory, dickory, dock" (1 text)
Baring-Gould-AnnotatedMotherGoose #8, p. 31, "(Hickory Dickory Dock)"
Solomon-ZickaryZan, p. 68, "Hickory, Dickory, Dock"; "O-U-T" (2 texts)
Jack-PopGoesTheWeasel, p. 70, "Hickory, Dickory, Dock" (1 text)
Dolby-OrangesAndLemons, p. 100, "Hickory, Dickory, Dock" (1 text)
Delamar-ChildrensCountingOutRhymes, p. 39, "Hickory, Dickory, Dock"; p. 117, "Hickory, Dickory, Dock" (2 texts); cf. p. 119, "Hickory, dickory, six and seven" (1 text)
Roud #6489
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hickory Dickory Dare" (lyrics)
NOTES [42 words]: Jack-PopGoesTheWeasel mentions a suggestion that this refers to Richard Cromwell, the son of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England 1658-1659 (succeeding his father). As usual, this is only an hypothesis, and not a particularly convincing one. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: BGMG008

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