"Tinker, Tailor" is a counting game, nursery rhyme and fortune telling song traditionally played in England, that can be used to count cherry stones, buttons, daisy petals and other items. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 802. It is commonly used by children in both Britain and America for "counting out", e.g. for choosing who shall be "It" in a game of tag.

Lyrics

The most common modern version is:

:Tinker, Tailor,

:Soldier, Sailor,

:Rich Man, Poor Man,

:Beggar Man, Thief.

The most common American version is:

:Rich Man, Poor Man,

:Beggar Man, Thief,

:Doctor, Lawyer, (or "Merchant")

:Indian Chief. The version printed by William Wells Newell in Games and Songs of American Children in 1883 was: "Rich man, Poor man, beggar-man, thief, Doctor, lawyer (or merchant), Indian chief", and it may be from this tradition that the modern American lyrics solidified.

The "tinker, tailor" rhyme is one part of a longer counting or divination game, played by young girls to foretell their futures, similar thematically to MASH. It runs as follows:

:When shall I marry?

::This year, next year, sometime, never.

:What will my husband be? (or what I be?)

::Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich-man, poor-man, beggar-man, thief.

:What will I be?

::Lady, baby, gypsy, queen.

:What shall I wear?

::Silk, satin, cotton, rags (or silk, satin, velvet, lace) (or silk, satin, muslin, rags)

:How shall I get it?

::Given, borrowed, bought, stolen.

:How shall I get to church?

::Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, cart. (or Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, dustbin)

:Where shall I live?

::Big house, little house, pig-sty, barn.

During the divination, the child will ask a question and then count out a series of actions or objects by reciting the rhyme. The rhyme is repeated until the last of the series of objects or actions is reached. The last recited term or word is that which will come true. Buttons on a dress, petals on a flower, bounces of a ball, number of jumps over a rope, etc., may be counted.

See also

  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Notes

Further reading

  • Gomme, Alice Bertha. The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland. London: David Nutt (1898).
  • Hazlitt, W. Carew. Faiths and Folklore: A Dictionary of National Beliefs, Superstitions and Popular Customs, Past and Current, With Their Classical and Foreign Analogues, Described and Illustrated (Brand's Popular Antiquities of Great Britain). London: Reeves and Turner (1905).