The Struwwelpeter Overture
When the children have been good
That is let it be understood
Good at mealtimes good at play
Good all night and all of the day
They shall have the pretty things
Merry Christmas always brings
But naughty romping girls and boys
Who tear their clothes and make a noise
Who spoil their pinafores and their frocks
They deserve no Christmas box
Such as these shall never look
At this pretty picture book
Yes such as these shall never look
At this pretty picture book
Cruel Frederick
This is cruel Frederick Frederick see
A horrid wicked boy was he
He caught the flies the poor little things
And tore off all their tiny wings
He threw the kittens down the stairs
He broke all the chairs
And ah far worse than all beside
He beat his Mary ‘til she cried
‘Til she cried
The trough was full a dog called Tray
Went out to drink one sultry day
Well he had scarcely wet his lip
When cruel Fred snatched up a whip
He whipped poor Tray ‘til he was sore
And then he whipped him more and more
At this poor Tray grew very red
And he bit Fred
And he bit Fred
‘Til he bled
‘Til he bled
Well then you should have been by
To see how Fred did scream and cry
He had to go go to bed
His leg was very sore and red
The doctor came and shook his head
Fred
Fred
Fred
He was dead
He was dead
He was dead
He was dead
Dead
Dead
Dead
Dead
Fred was dead
The dreadful story about Harriet and the matches
Well it almost makes me cry to tell
What foolish Harriet does befell
Mama and nurse went out one day
And left her all alone to play
Well on the table close at hand
A box of matches chanced to stand
Well mama and nurse had told her
That if she touched them they would scold her
Well Harriet said what a pity
‘Cos when they burn they seem so pretty
They crackle so they spit and flame
Mama and papa do often do the same
So she wouldn’t take their advice
She lit a match it was so nice
It crackled so it burnt so clear
Exactly like the picture here
So she jumped for joy and she ran about
And was too pleased to put it out
Well the pussy cats they saw this
They said naughty naughty naughty Miss
Oh miaow miaoh miaow miaoh
She’s burning to death we told her so
Well see what a dreadful dreadful thing
The fire has caught her apron string
She burns all over everywhere
She burns her nose and her arms and her hair
‘Til she’s got nothing left to lose
Except her little scarlet shoes
And only these only these are found
Amongst her ashes on the ground
Oh miaow miaoh miaow miaoh
She’s burnt to death we told her so
Oh miaow miaoh miaow miaoh
She’s burnt to death we told her so
The pussy cats they sat beside
Her steaming ashes and they cried
Oh miaow miaoh miaow miaoh
She’s burnt to death we told her so
Oh miaow miaoh miaow miaoh
She’s burnt to death we told her so
Bully Boys
Well as he’d often done before
My neighbour from next door
One fine summer’s day went out
To the shops to walk about
And as he found it hot poor fella
He took with him his green umbrella
When Edward noisy little wag
He came out and waved his flag
And William came in jacket trim
And brought his wooden hoop with him
And Arthur brought his toys
And joined the other bully boys
Well those silly bully boys
They lost all their toys
Well tall Agrippa lives close by
So tall he almost touched the sky
He was giant through and through
He was giant through and through
He called out in an angry tone
To leave my neighbour alone
But they didn’t mind a bit
What tall Agrippa said of it
Well those silly bully boys
They lost more than their toys
Well tall Agrippa foamed with rage
Just look at him on this very page
He seizes Arthur seizes Ned
He smashes all their tiny heads
Then they don’t scream and they don’t call
They are corpses one and all
Three little corpses one two three
They’re all as dead as can be
Well those silly bully boys
They lost more than their toys
Well those silly bully boys
Because Agrippa they annoyed
Well those silly bully boys
They lost more than their toys
Silly bully boys
Because Agrippa they annoyed
The Story of the man that went out shooting
This is the man that shoots the hare
This is the coat he wears
With game bag powder horn and gun
He’s going to have some fun
The hare sits in the leaves and grass
And laughs to see the green man pass
And as the sun gets very hot
And he a heavy gun has got
The lays down under a tree
And goes to sleep as you can see
The hare sneaks up hip hop
Takes the gun and then hops off
The green man wakes and sees the hare’s face
With the gun shoved in his face
Well he screams and runs away
The hare chases him all day
That hare is trying all that she can
To shoot the sleepy green coat man
Help help help help help
Help help help help help …
Fire the hare
At last he stumbles at a well
Arse over tit and in he fell
The hare takes aim and hark
Bang goes the gun and hits the mark
Bang bang bang bang
The hare’s
The green man’s wife
Was drinking her coffee
From her coffee cup
The hare shot cup and saucer through
And then the hare shot her too
Help help help help help
Help help help help help …
Fire the hare
Well the hare’s own child the little hare
Lived by the cottage there
And as she stood upon her toes
The hare shot her through the nose
She died with nose in hand
And she didn’t understand
And then the hare put the gun to her head
And bang went the gun and she too was
Dead dead dead dead
Deaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddead
Deaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddead
Dead dead dead dead
Help fire the hare
Snip Snip
Conrad’s mother said Conrad dear
I must go out and leave you here
But mind now Conrad what I say
Don’t suck your thumbs while I’m away
That great tall tailor he always comes
For naughty boys who suck their thumbs
And ere they wonder what he’s about
He’s got his great long scissors out
Snip snip the scissors go
And Conrad cries out oh
Snip snip they go so fast
And Conrad’s thumbs are off at last
Well Mama had scarcely turned her back
When the thumbs were in alack alack
The door burst open and in he ran
That great long legged scissor man
Snip snip the scissors go
And Conrad cries out oh
Snip snip they go so fast
And Conrad’s thumbs are off at last
Well mama comes home and there Conrad stands
He looks quite sad as he shows his hands
Ha ha said mama I knew he’s come
For naughty little Suck-a-Thumb
Snip snip the scissors go
And Conrad cries out oh
Snip snip they go so fast
And Conrad breathes his last
Snip snip the scissors go
And Conrad cries out oh
Snip snip they go so fast
And Conrad bleeds to death death at last
Augustus
Augustus was a chubby lad
Great fat ruddy cheeks Augustus had
He always did as he was told
And he never let his soup get cold
So everybody saw they saw with joy
The hale and hearty healthy boy
But then one day one sad fateful day
He cried out take that nasty soup away
The second day comes the picture shows
How weak and thin Augustus grows
But when the soup is put on the table
He cries out loud as he is able
The third day comes oh what a sin
Augustus grows so pale and thin
Yet though he grows so weak and ill
He cries out cries out cries out still
Take that nasty soup away
I don’t want any soup today
The fourth day comes the fourth day comes
And he scarcely weighs a sugar plum
He’s like a little bit of thread
And on the fifth day the fifth day the fifth day
He was dead
Fidgety Phil
Let’s see if Philip can
Be a little gentleman
Let’s see if Philip’s able
To sit at the table
Mama bades Phil behave
And papa he looks very grave
But fidgety Phil he won’t sit still
He wriggles and he giggles
Yeah fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Well I declare
He rocks backwards and forwards on his chair
Just like it was a rocking horse
Mama’s getting very cross
Yeah fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Then to make matters worse again
He grabs the tablecloth and then
Down upon the ground he falls
With knives plates forks spoons and all
Mama pulls such a face
At Philip’s sad disgrace
And papa pulls such a frown
As Philip goes tumbling down
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Where is Philip where is he
Oh there he is and he bleeds
There’s a bloodstained tablecloth lying on him
Knives and forks they’re all stuck in him
There’s a knife and there’s a fork
Oh Philip this is cruel work
What a terrible to-do
Philip bleeds to death and turns blue
fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Fidgety fidgety fidgety Phil
Johnny Head-In-Air
As he trudged along to school
It was always Johnny’s rule
To be looking at the sky
And the clouds that floated by
Just before him there did lay
In his in his in his way
Johnny never thought about
So that everyone cried out
Well look at Johnny Johnny there
Little Johnny Johnny Head-In-Air
Running in Johnny’s way
Came a little dog one day
Johnny’s eyes were still astray
In the sky every day
And he never heard them cry
Johnny mind the dog is nigh
Down they fell with such a thump
Johnny and dog in a lump
Once with head as high as ever
Johnny walked beside the river
Johnny watched the swallows trying
Which was the cleverest at flying
Oh what fun oh what fun
Johnny watched the bright round sun
Going in and coming out
That was all he thought about
So he strode on only think
To the river’s river’s very brink
Where the bank was high and steep
And the water water very deep
And the fishes in a row
Stared to see him coming coming so
One more step oh sad to tell
Headlong in Johnny fell
Here are the fishes in dismay
Wagged their tails and ran away
Here lay Johnny on his face
With his little red writing case
And the fishes one two three
Came back again you see
Up they came a moment after
To see Johnny in the here and after
Each popped up his little head
To tease poor Johnny who was dead
Yeah each popped up his little head
To tease poor Johnny who was dead
Flying Robert
When the rain comes tumbling down
In the country and the town
All the good little girls and boys
Stay indoors and mind their toys
Robert says no when it pours
It’s better out out of doors
Well rain it did and in a minute
Rob Rob was in it
Flying Robert
Flying Robert
Well see the wind how it whistles
Through the flowers and the thistles
See the silly fella
Underneath his green umbrella
Well it has caught caught that umbrella
So up he goes the silly fella
Up he goes into the skies
No one hears his screams and cries
Flying Robert
Flying Robert
See how the rude wind bore him
And it blew his hat before him
Well he’s reached such a height
He is nearly out of sight
Where he where he fell
No one yet can tell
But one thing one thing is plain
He was never seen again
Flying Robert
Flying Robert …
Shockheaded Peter
Just look at him there he stands
With his nasty hair and hands
Anything to me is sweeter
Than Shockheaded Peter
See his nails are never cut
They’re as grim as black as soot
Anything to me is sweeter
Than Shockheaded Peter
And this sloven I declare
Has never once combed his hair
Yes this sloven I declare
Has never once combed his hair
So anything to me is sweeter
Than Shockheaded Peter
Anything to me is sweeter
Than Shockheaded Peter …
Shockheaded Peter …
