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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
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<h2 id="lyrics">Lyrics</h2> <p>The English lyrics were written as a poem by <a href="/facts/Jane_Taylor_(poet)/tsz8HwF1">Jane Taylor</a> (1783–1824)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> and published with the title "The Star" in <i>Rhymes for the Nursery</i> by Jane and her sister <a href="/facts/Ann_Taylor_(poet)/I7VoAsRY">Ann Taylor</a> (1782–1866) in London in 1806:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <blockquote> <p>Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night. Then the trav'ller in the dark, Thanks you for your tiny spark, He could not see which way to go, If you did not twinkle so. In the dark blue sky you keep, And often thro' my curtains peep, For you never shut your eye, Till the sun is in the sky. 'Tis your bright and tiny spark, Lights the trav'ller in the dark: Tho' I know not what you are, Twinkle, twinkle, little star. </p> </blockquote> <p>The lyrics were first published with the tune "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" in <i>The Singing Master: First Class Tune Book</i> in 1838.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> When sung, the first two lines of the entire poem are repeated as a <a href="/facts/Refrain/sAxmu5XJ">refrain</a> after each <a href="/facts/Stanza/8I6qWrF4">stanza</a>. </p> <h2 id="melody">Melody</h2> <p>"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is sung to the French melody "<a href="/facts/Ah!_vous_dirai-je%2c_maman/zlP0au1L">Ah! vous dirai-je, maman</a>". The melody is used in other nursery rhymes, including <a href="/facts/The_ABC_Song/abDX7rj9">the ABC Song</a> and "<a href="/facts/Baa%2c_Baa%2c_Black_Sheep/XeDhAsL0">Baa, Baa, Black Sheep</a>". </p> Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can download the audio file. <h2 id="other-versions">Other versions</h2> <p>Additional variations exist such as </p><p>1. From the 1840 novel <a href="/facts/Poor_Jack/6X9rzLpQ">Poor Jack</a> (chapter 4), by <a href="/facts/Frederick_Marryat/RRPdfR0j">Frederick Marryat</a>. </p> <blockquote> <p>Pretty little twinkling star, How I wonder what you are; All above the earth so high, Like a diamond in the sky. </p> </blockquote> <p>2. From 1896 in <i>Song Stories for the Kindergarten</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> by <a href="/facts/Mildred_J._Hill/982hmyxP">Mildred J. Hill</a>. </p> <blockquote> <p>Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How we wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. When the glorious sun has set, And the grass with dew is wet, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night. When the golden sun doth rise, Fills with shining light the skies, Then you fade away from sight, Shine no more 'till comes the night. </p> </blockquote> <p>A <a href="/facts/Parody/xDs59sgV">parody</a> of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" titled "<a href="/facts/Twinkle%2c_Twinkle%2c_Little_Bat/R9V5Kvzo">Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat</a>" is recited by the <a href="/facts/Mad_Hatter/TVN4VoVI">Mad Hatter</a> in chapter seven of <a href="/facts/Lewis_Carroll/UnDExrlu">Lewis Carroll</a>'s <i><a href="/facts/Alice%2527s_Adventures_in_Wonderland/xIcypuRd">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <p>A version using synonyms from <i><a href="/facts/Roget%2527s_Thesaurus/wkqaVmCE">Roget's Thesaurus</a></i> exists.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>The opening lyrics are also used to begin the traditional murder ballad "<a href="/facts/Duncan_and_Brady/Vm5yKMmb">Duncan and Brady</a>." </p><p>The song can also be played as a <a href="/facts/Singing_game/V0e1xEdv">singing game</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_nursery_rhymes/34Jjuvmd">List of nursery rhymes</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Fr%25C3%25A8re_Jacques/qXI1kg3C">Frère Jacques</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Little_Star_(The_Elegants_song)/qdlxf8Ty">Little Star</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Twinkling/M5v7RJj6">Twinkling</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li> Works related to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at Wikisource</li> <li> Learning materials related to Nursery rhymes and songs/Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at Wikiversity</li> <li> Media related to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at Wikimedia Commons</li> <li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/04/2006_35_wed.shtml">Audio segment</a> from <a href="/facts/BBC_Radio_4/7jFBld49">BBC Radio 4</a> <i><a href="/facts/Woman%2527s_Hour/Fyg4BuKw">Woman's Hour</a></i></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"First publication of 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'". bl.uk. British Library. Retrieved 26 July 2021. <a href="https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/first-publication-of-twinkle-twinkle-little-star#" target="_blank">https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/first-publication-of-twinkle-twinkle-little-star#</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"LISTSERV 15.5 – OPERA-L Archives". listserv.bccls.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2014. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172607/http://listserv.bccls.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0112B&L=OPERA-L&D=1&P=78015&F=P" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172607/http://listserv.bccls.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0112B&L=OPERA-L&D=1&P=78015&F=P</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"The Autobiography and Other Memorials of Mrs. Gilbert". <a href="http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/taylor/autobiography/autobiography-I.html" target="_blank">http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/taylor/autobiography/autobiography-I.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>M. Cryer, Love Me Tender: The Stories Behind the World's Best-loved Songs (Frances Lincoln, 2009), pp. 83–5. <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 397–8. First publication of 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star' Archived 12 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine <a href="/wiki/I._Opie_and_P._Opie" target="_blank">/wiki/I._Opie_and_P._Opie</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>M. Cryer, Love Me Tender: The Stories Behind the World's Best-loved Songs (Frances Lincoln, 2009), pp. 83–5. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Mildred J. Hill (26 July 1896). "Song Stories for the Kindergarten" – via Internet Archive. <a href="https://archive.org/details/SongStoriesForTheKindergarten" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/SongStoriesForTheKindergarten</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Gardner, Martin (1998). The Annotated Alice. Random House. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-517-18920-7. <a href="978-0-517-18920-7" target="_blank">978-0-517-18920-7</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Geoffrey Hughes, A History of English Words (Wiley-Blackwell, 2000), p. 40. ISBN 9780631188551 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Free Lead Sheet – Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Michael Kravchuk. Retrieved 5 May 2022. <a href="https://michaelkravchuk.com/free-lead-sheet-twinkle-twinkle-star/" target="_blank">https://michaelkravchuk.com/free-lead-sheet-twinkle-twinkle-star/</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>