Little Bo Peep
Version 1
Little Bo-Peep
Has lost her sheep,
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone,
And they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Little Bo-Peep
Has found her sheep,
And she knew where to find them.
She left them alone,
And they came home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
(Mother Goose Club Version)
Version 2
Little Bo-Peep
Has lost her sheep,
And can’t tell where to find them;
Leave them alone,
And they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Little Bo-Peep
Fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
When she awoke,
‘twas all a joke—
Ah! Cruel vision fleeting.
Then she took up
Her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
What was her joy
To behold them nigh,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Source: Elliott, Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs (1870)
Version 3
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Let them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep
And dreamt she heard them bleating:
But when she awoke she found it a joke,
For still they all were fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left their tails behind them.
It happened one day, as Bo-Peep did stray
Unto a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails, side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.
Source: Smith, The Little Mother Goose (1912)
Historical Background
In a manuscript published around 1805, the earliest record of “Little Bo Peep” includes only the first verse. The name “Little Bo Peep” is thought to originate from the words “bleat” and “sheep."
Download the sheet music of this rhyme