Some nursery rhymes are fading out and not heard as much here in America. Wee Willie Winkie is one of those songs for kids that stems from lyrics to an old poem. It was first published in 1841 in a book entitled Whistle Binkie: Stories for the Fireside. The Wee Willie Winkie poem reads like this:
Wee Willie Winkie
Rins through the toun,
Up stairs and doun stairs
In his nicht-gown,
Tirling at the window,
Crying at the lock,
“Are the weans in their bed,
For it’s now ten o’clock?
“Hey, Willie Winkie,
Are ye coming ben?
The cat’s singing grey thrums
To the sleeping hen,
The dog’s spelder’d on the floor,
And disna gie a cheep,
But here’s a waukrife laddie
That winna fa’ asleep.”
Onything but sleep, you rogue!
Glow’ring like the moon,
Rattling in an airn jug
Wi’ an airn spoon,
Rumblin’, tumblin’, round about,
Crawing like a cock,
Skirlin’ like a kenna-what,
Wauk’nin’ sleeping folk.
“Hey, Willie Winkie –
The wean’s in a creel!
Wamblin’ aff a body’s knee
Like a very eel,
Ruggin’ at the cat’s lug,
Rav’llin’ a’ her thrums –
Hey, Willie Winkie –
See, there he comes!”
Wearied is the mither
That has a stoorie wean,
A wee stumpie stousie,
That canna rin his lane.
That has a battle aye wi’ sleep,
Before he’ll close an e’e –
But a kiss frae aff his rosy lips
Gies strength anew to me.
This rhyme is a 1937 American adventure film directed by John Ford. The screenplay by Julien Josephson and Ernest Pascal was based on a story by Rudyard Kipling. The film stars Shirley Temple, Victor McLaglen, and Cesar Romero in a story about the British presence in 19th-century India. The poem was written by William Miller (1810–72), first printed in Whistle Binkie: Stories for the Fireside in 1841 and re-printed in Whistle Binkie; a Collection of Songs for the Social Circle published in 1873. In Jacobite songs, Willie referred to King William III of England, one example being “The Last Will and Testament of Willie Winkie”, but it seems likely that Miller was simply using the name rather than writing a Jacobite satire.
Such was the popularity of this rhyme that the character has become one of several bedtime entities such as the Sandman, Ole Lukøje of Scandinavia, Klaas Vaak of the Netherlands, Dormette of France and Billy Winker in Lancashire.
This preschool education themed poem is perfect for little ones of that age range. I think it is important to understand what you read and this nursery rhyme has an excellent message that should be passed around more often. If you ever need a bedtime story to tell the little ones do not forget about this one.