Terry Grosvenor writes catchy and sing-able tunes for children that adults love as well. Many of her lyrics are based on classic poems that have been loved by generations of kids, parents and grandparents. “Twenty Froggies went to School” for example.

Song Lyrics

The Lobster Quadrille 3:56, Based on a poem by Lewis Carroll, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

“Will you walk a little faster?”
Said a whiting to a snail.
“There’s a porpoise close behind us,
And he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters
And the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle –
Will you come and join the dance?

Refrain:
Come and join the dance!(2x)
Come and join, come and join,
Come and join the dance!
Will you or won’t you
Come and join the dance? (2x)
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you,
Come and join the dance? (2x)

“You can really have no notion
How delightful it will be,
When they take us up and throw us,
With the lobsters, out to sea!“
But the snail replied, “Too far, too far!”
And gave a look askance –
Said he thanked the whiting kindly,
But he would not join the dance.

Refrain.

“What matters it how far we go?”
His scaly friend replied,
“There is another shore, you know,
Upon the other side.
The further off from England
The nearer is to France –
So turn not pale, beloved snail,
But come and join the dance.

Refrain.

Bus Driver 2:34, Terry T. Grosvenor & Amanda M. Grosvenor ©1992

Mr. Bus Driver,
Take me where I want to go
Take me to school
And past all the places I know
I’ll sit by the window
And watch the world go by
Let’s go for a ride, Mr. Bus Driver

Mr. Bus Driver, I like it when it rains
The bus gets all steamy,
Drops hit the window pane
I like it when you hit a bump
And everybody seems to jump
Drive on through the rain,
Mr. Bus Driver

Mr. Bus Driver, I like it when you stop
People get off and on,
The doors pop open and shut
You smile at me and say
“How are you”
I say “I’m fine and I hope you are too”
Let’s go for a ride, let’s go for a ride,
Let’s go for a ride, Mr. Bus Driver

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod 3:13, Based on a poem by Eugene Field, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night,
Sailed off in a wooden shoe-
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going,
And what do you wish?”
The old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring fish That live in this beautiful sea;
Nests of silver and gold have we!”
Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song, As they rocked in a wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long, Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea –
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish – Never afeard are we!”
So cried the stars to the fishermen three: Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam –
Then down from the skies
Came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
‘Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought
Twas a dream they’d dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea –
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
and Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old shoe rocked
The fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Jungle Fever 4:54, Richard C. Grosvenor & Terry T. Grosvenor ©1993

Well the place was rocking,
To the crazy beat,
The alligators wriggled,
And slapped their feet.
The warthogs grunted
And squealed with delight
And the wildebeest frolicked
All through the night.
The hyenas crooned
And the jackals laughed,
And the monkeys
Scampered up the tall giraffe.

Refrain:
The old lion says,
And you know he’s right,
When you see them dancing
In the middle of the night,
They’ve got the jungle fever,
They just can’t stop.
So it’s fun, fun, fun until they drop. (2x)

Splashing around
In the watering hole,
Hippos bounced
And lost control.
Zebras kicked
And turned about
And the grumpy old rhino
Stuck up his snout.
Boas dropped down
From up in the trees,
Looking around
For someone to squeeze.

Buzzards circled way up high
Shaking their heads saying
My, oh my,
They’ve got the jungle fever,
They just can’t stop.
So it’s fun, fun, fun until they drop. (2x)

Antelopes twirled
And shook their tails,
Prancing along
The jungle trails.
Insects hummed and buzzed about
Making the others scream and shout.
Leopards stalked and slinked around,
Patting their paws to the crazy sound.
Anteaters sniffed the termite mound,
Armadillos rolled
In balls on the ground.

The elephants stamped
And shook the trees.
And the parrots squawked
In the cool night breeze.
Baboons and gorillas danced in pairs,
Leaping and swinging
Without any cares.
Geckos and chameleons
Skitted on the ground,
Shaken and dazed
By the thudding pound.

Refrain

A Fairy Went A-Marketing 2:37, Based on a poem by Rose Fyleman, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

A fairy went a -marketing-
She bought a little fish;
She put it in a crystal bowl
Upon a golden dish.
An hour she sat in wonderment
And watched its silver gleam,
And then she gently took it up
And slipped it in a stream.

A fairy went a -marketing-
She bought a colored bird;
It sang the sweetest shrillest song
That she had ever heard.
She sat beside the painted cage
And listened half the day,
And then she opened wide the door
And let it fly away.

A fairy went a -marketing-
She bought a winter gown;
All stitched about with gossamer
And lined with thistledown.
She wore it all afternoon
With prancing and delight,
Then gave it to a little frog
To keep him warm at night.

A fairy went a -marketing-
She bought a gentle mouse;
To take her tiny messages,
To keep her tiny house.
All day she kept its busy feet
Pit-patting to and fro,
Then kissed it on its silken ears,
Thanked it, and let it go. (2x)

Little Orphant Annie 3:20, Based on a poem by James Whitcomb Riley, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

Little Orphant Annie’s
Come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up,
An’ brush the crumbs away,
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch,
An dust the hearth, an’ sweep,
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread,
An’ earn her board-an-keep;
An’ all us other children,
When the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire
An’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales
‘At Annie tells about,

Refrain:
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at git you ef you don’t watch out.

Once they was a little boy
Who wouldn’t say his prayers,-
So when he went to bed at night,
Away up stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler,
An’ his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An’ when they turn’t the kivvers down,
he wasn’t there at all!
An’ they seeked him in the rafter-room,
an’ cubby-hole, an’ press,
They seeked him in the chimbly flue,
an’ ever’wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found
Was thist his pants an’ roundabout-

Refrain

An’ one time a little girl
‘Ud allus laugh an’ grin,
An’ make fun of ever’one,
An all her blood an’ kin;
An’ once, when they was “com-pany,”
an’ ole folks was there,
She mocked ’em an shocked ’em,
An ‘said she didn’t care!
An as she kicked her heels,
An’ turn’t to run an’ hide,
They was two big things
A-standin’ by her side,
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’
‘Fore she knowed what she’s about

Refrain

An Little Orphant Annie says
When the blaze is blue,
An the lamp-wick sputters,
An’ the wind goes woo-oo!
An’ you hear the crickets quit,
An’ the moon is gray,
An’ the lightnin’ bugs in dew
Is all squenched away,-
You better mind yer parents,
An’ yer teachers fond an’ dear,
An’ cherish them ‘at loves you,
An’ dry the orphant’s tear,
An’ he’p the pore an needy ones’
At clusters all about,

Refrain.

Antonio 1:43, Based on a poem by Laura Richards, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

Antonio, Antonio
Was tired of living alonio.
He thought he would woo
Miss Lissamy Lu
Miss Lissamy Lucy Molonio

Antonio, Antonio
Rode off on his polo-ponio
He found the fair maid
In a cool, green shade,
A-sitting and knitting alonio.

Antonio, Antonio
Said, “If you will be my ownio,
I’ll love you true,
And I’ll buy for you,
An icery creamery conio!“

“Oh NOnio, Antonio!
You’re far too thin and bonio!
And all that I wish,
You singular fish,
Is that you will quickly begonio.“

Antonio, Antonio
He uttered a dismal moanio;
Then ran off and hid
(Or they say that he did)
In the Anticatarctical Zonio.

Twenty Froggies 3:16, Based on a poem by George Cooper, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

Twenty froggies went to school
Down beside a rushy pool,
Twenty little coats of green,
Twenty vests all neat and clean.
“We must be in time,” said they,
“First we study, and then we play.
That is how we keep the rule,
When we froggies go to school.“

Refrain:
Froggies work, froggies play,
Froggies learn in school each day.

Master Bullfrog, brave and stern,
Called his classes in their turn,
Taught them how to nobly strive,
How to leap and how to dive;
Taught them how to dodge a blow
From the sticks that bad boys throw,
Twenty froggies grew up fast,
Bullfrogs they became at last;

Refrain.

Polished in a high degree,
As each froggie ought to be,
Now they sit on other logs,
Teaching other little frogs.
Twenty froggies went to school
Down beside a rushy pool,
Twenty little coats of green,
Twenty vests all neat and clean.

Refrain.

The Owl and The Pussycat 3:41, Based on a poem by Edward Lear, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

The Owl and the Pussycat
Went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey,
And plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up
To the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
What a beautiful Pussy you are.

Pussy said to the Owl,
“You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married!
Too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?“
They sailed away
For a year and a day,
To the land where the
Bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood
A Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

“Dear Pig are you willing
To sell for one shilling
Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away,
And were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince,
And slices of quince,
Which they ate
With a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand,
On the edge of the sand,
They danced by
The light of the moon, the moon,
They danced by
The light of the moon.

The Pirate Don Durk 2:57, Based on a poem by Mildred Plew Meigs,Terry T. Grosvenor ©1993

Yo ho, for the Pirate
Don Durk of Dowdee!
He was as wicked
As wicked could be,
But oh, he was perfectly
Gorgeous to see!
The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

His conscience, of course,
Was as black as a bat,
But he had a floppety plume
On his hat
And when he went walking
It jiggled — like that!
The plume of the Pirate Dowdee.

His coat it was handsome
And cut with a slash,
And often as ever
He twirled his mustache
Deep down in the ocean
The mermaids went splash,
Because of Don Durk of Dowdee.

Moreover, Dowdee
Had a purple tattoo,
And stuck in his belt
Where he buckled it through
Were a dagger, a dirk,
And a squizzamaroo,
For fierce was the Pirate Dowdee.

So fearful he was
He would shoot at a puff,
And always at sea
When the weather grew rough
He drank from a bottle
And he wrote on his cuff,
Did pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

Oh, he had a cutlass
That swung at his thigh
And he had a parrot named
Pepperkin Pye,
And a zigzaggy scar
At the end of his eye
Had Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

He kept in a cavern,
This buccaneer bold,
A curious chest
That was covered with mold,
And all of his pockets
Were jingly with gold!
Oh jing! went the gold of Dowdee

His conscience, of course,
It was crooked like a squash,
But both of his boots
Made a slickery slosh,
And he went through the world
With a wonderful swash,
Did Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

It’s true he was wicked
As wicked could be,
His sins they outnumbered
A hundred and three,
But oh, he was perfectly
Gorgeous to see,
The Pirate Don Durk of Dowdee.

Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming 3:08, Based on a poem by Aileen Fisher, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994

Benjamin Jones in confident tones
Told his wife, “On the fourth of July
I think I’ll compete
In the free-for-all meet.
I bet I can win, if I try.“

But his wife said, “My word!
How very absurd!
You haven’t been swimming for years.
With others so fast,
You’re sure to be LAST,
And I’ll blush to the tips of my ears.“

Well, the Fourth quickly came,
And waiting acclaim,
Were wonderful swimmers galore,
Each poised in his place,
For the start of the race,
While spectators crowded the shore.

The contest began,
And Benjy, poor man,
Was passed on the left and t he right..
His pace was so slow ,
That a crab saw his toe
And thought it would venture a bite.

Ben noticed the crab,
As it started to grab
And-perhaps the result
Can be guessed:
The thought of this toe
In the claws of his foe
Made him swim
Like a swimmer possessed!

And the crowd on the shore
Sent up a great roar
As Ben took the lead in the dash,
While his wife on the dock
Received such a shock
She fell in the lake with a splash.

Little John Bottlejohn 2:39, Based on a poem by Laura E. Richards, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994
Based on a tune by George Bristow, modified by Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994,
Vocals by Amanda M. Grosvenor

Little John Bottlejohn lived on a hill,
And a happy little man was he;
And he won the heart of a little mermaid
Who lived in the deep blue sea.
And every evening she used to sit
And sing on the rocks by the sea:
“Oh, little John Bottlejohn!
Happy John Bottlejohn!
Won’t you come away with me?“

Little John Bottlejohn heard her song,
And he opened up his little door;
And he hopped and he skipped,
And he skipped and he hopped
‘Til he came down to the shore.
There on a rock sat the little mermaid,
And still she was singing so free-
“Oh, little John Bottlejohn!
Happy John Bottlejohn!
Won’t you come away with me?“

Little John Bottlejohn made a bow,
And the mermaid, she made one, too,
And she said: “Oh, I never,
No I never saw someone
So perfectly sweet as you.
In my beautiful home,
‘Neath the ocean foam,
How, happy we both should be!
“Oh, little John Bottlejohn!
Happy John Bottlejohn!
Won’t you come down there with me?“

Little John Bottlejohn said;
“Oh, yes, I will,
I willingly will go with you;
And I’ll not quail at the sight of your tail,
Perhaps I will grow one, too.“
So, he took her hand,
And he left the land,
And he plunged in the foaming main;
And little John Bottlejohn!
Happy John Bottlejohn!
Never was seen again.

Dilliki Dolliki Dinah 4:43, Based on a poem by Laura E. Richards, Terry T. Grosvenor ©1992

Dilliki Dolliki Dinah;
Niece she was to the Empress of China;
Fair she was as a morning of May,
When Hy Kokolorum stole her away.(2x)

Hy was a wizard, I’ll have you know;
Wicked as weasels and mean as a crow;
Lived in a castle a-top of a hill;
Had a panther whose name was Bill;

Used to ride him around and around,
Creeping and peeping close to the ground;
Working mischief wherever he could;
Nothing about him in any way good!

Saw the maiden one midsummer morn,
(Sweetest creature that ever was born!)
Creeped and he peeped in his wizardly way,
He catched her and he snatched her
and stole her away!

All through China arose a cry:
“Some one has stolen our Dilliki Di!”
People gathered in every forum,
Crying, “It must be Hy Kokolorum!”

All the barons in China land,
Ling the lofty and Bing the bland,
Kong the kingly and Bong the brave,
Vowed a vow to find and save

Darling Dilliki Dolliki Dinah
(Niece, you know, to the Empress of China;
Fair, you know, as a morning in May),
Whom Hy Kokolorum had stolen away,

Now in a kingly, ringly row,
Round and about the Hill they go,
Ling the lofty and Bing the bland,
Kong and Bong, and there they stand,

Weaving a weird and spinning a spell,
All with intent to quash and quell
Hy Kokolorum, worker of woe,
Wicked as weasels and mean as a crow.

Dilliki Dinah was weeping her fill
When stepped up softly the panther Bill;
Whispered, “If you will give me a kiss,
I’ll turn your sorrow to bubbling bliss!“

She, to animals always kind,
Said, “No! Really? Well, I don’t mind!”
Dropped a kiss on his nose so pink,
And-goodness gracious! what do you think?

He turned to a beautiful Golden King,
Crown and scepter and everything!
Ran the old wizard through and through,
Saying, “Now there is an end of you!”

Caught the maiden up in his arms,
Broke through the net of spells and charms,
Cried to the Barons bold and brave,
“I’ve had the honor to find and save

Darling Dilliki Dolliki Dinah,
Niece (I learn) to the Empress of China,
Fair (I swear) as a morning in May,
And she’ll be my queen from this very day!
She’ll be my queen from this very day!“

Farmer’s Boy 1:34, Based on an anonymous poem,Terry T. Grosvenor ©1994
Vocals by Annabelle R. Stillman

They strolled down the lane together,
The sky was studded with stars.
They reached the gate in silence,
And he lifted down the bars.
She neither smiled nor thanked him
Because she knew not how;
For he was just a farmer’s boy
And she was a Jersey cow!“

All songs composed, arranged and performed by Terry T. Grosvenor
Vocals by Terry T. Grosvenor,ASCAP; other vocalists noted on individual pieces.
All Songs & Arrangements,©1994, R&T Grosvenor Publishing, ASCAP
Engineered and Recorded by RichardC.Grosvenor,
Digital Editing by Viscount Records

This compilation was produced and digitally mastered by R&T Grosvenor Publishing in Newport, RI at may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of R&T Grosvenor Publishing

Jacket Art & Design by Richard C. Grosvenor

All of the individual songs on this album are protected by copyrights. Since, by law, only copyright owners may grant permission to reproduce theirs work, anyone who wishes to reproduce material from this album should first request permission from the credited copyright owners and R&T Grosvenor Publishing.