Behind the Meaning of the Endlessly Fun Nursery Rhyme “Five Little Monkeys”

Ever since the invention of beds, kids have loved to jump on them—the springier the better. Similarly, ever since the invention of beds and the decision for kids to jump on them as high as they can, parents have been attempting to dissuade the young ones from doing so. Why? Injury, of course. That work has created the popular children’s song and nursery rhyme, “Five Little Monkeys.”

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For more on this, keep reading below.

The Rhyme’s Origin

Whether you want to call it a folk song, a children’s song, or a nursery rhyme, “Five Little Monkeys” remains just as enjoyable to sing and act out.

The song, which includes a game that mimics the lyrics of the song, involves a descending sequential refrain in which five then four then three then two then one monkey decides to jump on a bed. In each verse, one of the monkeys bumps his head and falls off the bed. That’s when the local doctor, still making house calls, comes to the door and incredulously tells the parents and the kids, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of the Nursery Rhyme “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”]

The American rhyme includes some similarity to others from other regions and cultures like the Austrian song, “Wie Böhmen noch bei Öst’rreich war,” and the African-American, “Shortnin’ Bread,” which includes a verse, Three little children / lying in bed / Two was sick and the other ‘most dead / Send for the doctor and the doctor said / “feed them children on short’nin’ bread.”

The First Four Verses

As mentioned, the song includes five verses, almost all of which are the same:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

The Final Verse

The final verse ends differently than the four prior. In it, the last monkey, like the four before him, jumps on the bed, but the doctor, at his wits’ end, offers the final advice—no longer is the idea to stop jumping, now it’s to go to bed.

That stanza goes:

One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“Put those monkeys to bed!”

Alternatively, the last monkey can bump his (or her) head and the doctor can come and give the same advice as the four prior stanzas. But in a new, sixth stanza, the singer can highlight “no little monkeys jumping on the bed.”

That additional sixth stanza can read:

No little monkeys jumping on the bed,
None fell off and bumped their head,
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“Put those monkeys back in bed!”

Hand Gestures, Dance

The song, while a joy to sing, can also be acted out with anything from hand gestures to playful jumping on an actual bed (though, depending on the height of your bedroom ceilings, this may not be preferred).

To act it out with hand gestures, singers can hold up the number of fingers per monkey, “bouncing” them on the palm of their other hand. When a monkey bumps its head, they can hold their own head as if it hurting. Then when the mother calls the doctor, they can hold their hand up to their ear and mouth like a phone. Then when the doctor gives his advice, wag their finger in judgment!

[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of the Traditional Nursery Rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”]

Final Thoughts

Unlike many nursery rhymes or traditional children’s songs, “Five Little Monkeys” doesn’t seem to have a deeper meaning. It’s merely born from the annoyance of a group of kids neglecting their safety and that of a (breakable) bed for the sake of jumping and having a good time.

In this way, it’s a cautionary tale: if you have too much fun, you may get hurt. But outside of that, it’s just a silly ditty that’s fun to sing, act out and pretend monkeys are around the house leaping on furniture.

Photo courtesy Gettyimages.com

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