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A Pirate's Mother Goose

(And Other Rhymes)

ALBERT WHITMAN & Company

Rub-a-dub-dub

Rub-a-dub-dub,
three swabs in a tub,
and who do ye think they be?
The ship's cook, the first mate,
and Blackbeard the pirate
sailing the salty sea.


Sing a Song
of Hardtack

(Sing a Song of Sixpence)

Sing a song of hardtack,
a pirate's daily grub.
Eat it in your hammocks.
Munch it in the tub.
If ye don't love hardtack
for morning, noon, and night,
better not be sailin' off
in pirate ships tonight!


One Misty,
Moisty Morning

One misty, moisty morning,
when cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet a pirate
with a peacock feather.
He began to compliment,
and I began to grin.
Ahoy there, mate! And ahoy there, mate!
And ahoy there, mate, again!


Pretty Polly Parrot

(Wee Willy Winkie)

Pretty Polly Parrot
flies through the town
in all the houses
upstairs and down,
peeping through the windows,
squawking through the locks,
"Be the children safe in bed?
There be pirates at the docks!"


Diddle Diddle Dumpling,
Buccaneer John

(Diddle Diddle Dumpling, My Son
John)

Diddle diddle dumpling, Buccaneer John
went to bed with his britches on.
One boot off and one boot on.
Diddle diddle dumpling, Buccaneer John.


Peg-Leg Jack Horner

(Little Jack Horner)

Peg-Leg Jack Horner
sat in a corner,
giving his treasure some thought.
He pulled out his map,
then tugged on his cap,
and said, "Blimey! X marks the spot!"


Rock-a-by, Pirate

(Rock-a-by, Baby)

Rock-a-by, pirate, anchored at dock,
when the wind blows, the crow's nest will rock;
when the mast breaks, the crow's nest will fall,
down will come pirate, crow's nest and all.


The Pirate Queen

(The Queen of Hearts)

The pirate queen,
she wore a ring,
all on a summer's day;
Scurvy Dog Dean,
he stole that ring,
and took it clean away.

The pirate king
called for the ring.
"Or walk the plank!" he roared.
Scurvy Dog Dean
brought back the ring
and vowed he'd steal no more.


One, Two,
Sail into the Blue

(One, Two, Buckle My Shoe)

One, two,
sail into the blue.
Three, four,
drop anchor off shore.
Five, six,
grab shovels and picks.
Seven, eight,
bury the crate.
Nine, ten,
search for treasure again!

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Excerpted from A Pirate's Mother Goose by Nancy I. Sanders. Copyright © 2015 Nancy I. Sanders. Excerpted by permission of ALBERT WHITMAN & Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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