Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark
Version 1
Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark,
The beggars have come to town.
Some in rags, and some in tags,
And some in velvet gowns.
Source: Songs the Children Love to Sing (1916)
Version 2
Hark, hark,
The dogs do bark,
The beggars are coming to town;
Some in rags,
And some in jags,
And one in a velvet gown.
Source; The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1997)
Version 3
Hark! hark! the dogs bark,
The beggars are coming to town;
Some in rags and some in tags,
And some in silken gowns.
Some gave them white breads,
And some gave them brown,
And some gave them a good horse-whip,
And sent them out of town.
Source: Greenaway, Mother Goose (1881)
Historical Background
The origins of “Hark Hark The Dogs Do Bark” lie within thirteenth century England. At the time, minstrels and beggars wandered from city to city singing songs with hidden messages. The songs were secret ways to rebel against royalty, clergy and politicians. The rhyme is also said to allude to the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 – 1540) initiated by King Henry VIII and minister Thomas Cromwell. They seized monastic lands for profit increasing the wealth of England and leaving monks to beg in the streets like dogs. Another theory claims the “one in the velvet gown” is William III of Orange and the “beggars” are the Dutch followers he brought to invade England in 1688.
