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Cover of Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee

Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee

Traditional

ages 2 to 5nursery rhymesread aloudabout 34 seconds aloud

Two brothers nearly come to blows over a broken rattle until a monstrous crow startles them out of it, followed by an unrelated snippet about two old women stuck up an apple tree. It's a rhyme in two odd halves, better known today for lending its names to Lewis Carroll's pair in Through the Looking-Glass.

From Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional). See the whole collection.

Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee
    Resolved to have a battle,
For Tweedle-dum said Tweedle-dee
    Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew by a monstrous crow,
    As big as a tar barrel,
Which frightened both the heroes so,
    They quite forgot their quarrel.

OH, DEAR!

Dear, dear! what can the matter be?
Two old women got up in an apple-tree;
One came down, and the other stayed till Saturday.

Public domain. Text from The Real Mother Goose (Blanche Fisher Wright, 1916), via Project Gutenberg. View the source edition

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