You probably have the melody stuck in your head right now. That repetitive, slightly haunting "hi-ho the derry-o" that echoes across preschool playgrounds and through nursery rhyme playlists. It’s a staple of childhood. But honestly, if you sit down and look at the words to farmer in the dell, the whole thing is kinda dark. Most people remember the cheese. Everyone remembers the cheese standing alone. But how did we get from a working farm to a lonely piece of dairy?
It's a game of elimination.
The song isn't just a list of characters; it’s a social hierarchy that falls apart until only one thing is left. Most of us sang this in a circle, skipping around until we were "it." We didn't care about the historical context or the fact that the lyrics actually track back to German immigrant traditions or old English singing games. We just wanted to make sure we weren't the cheese.
The Standard Words to Farmer in the Dell
Let's get the basics out of the way first. While there are regional variations—because folk songs are like a game of telephone that lasts three hundred years—the standard American version follows a very specific "taking" order.
The farmer takes a wife.
The wife takes a child.
The child takes a nurse.
The nurse takes a cow.
The cow takes a dog.
The dog takes a cat.
The cat takes a rat.
The rat takes the cheese.
The cheese stands alone.
That's the core of it.
Why the "Derry-O"?
People always ask what a "derry-o" is. Is it a place? Is it a person? Well, linguists like those at the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes basically say it’s a meaningless refrain. It’s "nonsense verse." It exists because it sounds good with the rhythm. It likely evolved from "Heigh-ho, the cherry, oh" or similar phrases found in British Isles folk music. In some versions, you'll hear "Sing ho! the merry-o," which makes a bit more sense if you're trying to be festive, but "derry-o" is what stuck in the American psyche.
The song actually showed up in Germany first, titled "Es fuhr ein Bau'r ins Holz." By the time it hit the United States in the late 1800s, specifically around New York, it had morphed into the version we recognize today. It's a "capping" song. Each verse builds on the last, creating a chain of command that feels logical to a toddler but gets progressively weirder the more you think about the logistics of a cat "taking" a rat.
Breaking Down the Hierarchy
When you're teaching the words to farmer in the dell to kids, you're inadvertently teaching them about 19th-century social structures.
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The farmer is the patriarch. He starts the chain.
Then you have the wife and child—the immediate nuclear family.
But then a "nurse" enters the picture. In modern versions, sometimes people swap "nurse" for "nanny" or even "farmhand" to make it feel less like a Victorian estate, but "nurse" is the traditional lyric.
Then it takes a sharp turn into the barnyard.
Why does the nurse take a cow? Who knows. Maybe she needs the milk for the baby. From there, it’s a predatory slide down the food chain. Dog, cat, rat. It’s almost Darwinian. By the time you get to the cheese, the "taking" stops. The cheese doesn't take anything. It just sits there.
The Mystery of the Cheese
In the playground game, the "cheese" is usually the kid who gets teased or the kid who is "it" for the next round. There’s a psychological weight to that final verse. In many versions of the game, once the "rat" chooses the "cheese," all the other children gather around the cheese and pat them on the head (sometimes a bit too roughly) while singing.
It’s a lesson in isolation.
Some folklore researchers suggest the cheese represents the "harvest" or the "spoils," but honestly, it’s more likely just a rhythmic ending. You need a stopping point. You can't keep "taking" things forever. The cheese is the literal end of the line.
Variations You Might Not Know
If you grew up in the UK or parts of Canada, your words to farmer in the dell might be slightly different.
In some English versions, the "farmer’s in his den" instead of a "dell." A "dell," by the way, is just a small, wooded valley. It sounds poetic. A "den" sounds like the farmer is a bear or a hermit.
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There’s also the "Rat" variation.
In some older versions, the rat doesn't take cheese. The rat takes the "grain" or the "vittles." But "cheese" won the popularity contest because it’s a funny word for kids to say and it rhymes—at least internally—with the "ee" sounds in "thee" or "me" that occasionally crop up in regional dialects.
- The German Root: "Der Bauer ins Holz" involved a farmer going into the woods.
- The French Influence: Similar "chain" songs exist in French folklore, often involving wedding guests.
- Modern Twists: Some preschool teachers now change the ending so the "cheese stands with a friend" because they find the idea of the cheese being alone too sad for modern sensibilities.
The Darker Side of the Song
Let’s be real for a second. Folklore is almost always darker than we remember.
While The Farmer in the Dell isn't quite as morbid as Ring Around the Rosie (which, contrary to popular belief, probably isn't about the plague, but that's a different article), it does deal with the concept of being an outcast.
The cheese standing alone is a metaphor for social exclusion.
In the 1920s and 30s, sociologists actually looked at these types of singing games to see how children formed "in-groups" and "out-groups." The game creates a frantic energy as everyone gets "taken" into the circle of safety, leaving one person exposed. It’s a simulation of social pressure.
Why We Still Sing It
It’s the melody. It’s a "perfect" earworm. The song uses a very simple 6/8 time signature, which feels like a heartbeat or a gallop. It’s easy for a toddler to clap to.
More importantly, it’s a teaching tool.
When you use the words to farmer in the dell in a classroom, you’re teaching:
- Sequencing: Who comes after who?
- Vocabulary: Dell, nurse, rat, cheese.
- Social Interaction: Choosing a friend to join the circle.
It’s also incredibly flexible. You can swap out the characters. If you’re at a birthday party, the "birthday girl" can take a friend. If you’re at a Halloween party, the "ghost" can take a "goblin." The structure is a template.
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A Quick Sidebar on the "Dell"
Just so you’re the smartest person at the next playgroup: a "dell" is specifically a small, secluded, usually grassy valley. The word comes from the Middle English delle. It implies a sense of peace and isolation. So, the farmer isn't just in a field; he’s tucked away. This adds to that slightly eerie, isolated vibe of the whole song.
Tips for Using the Song Today
If you’re a parent or a teacher, don't overthink the "cheese standing alone" part too much. Kids usually find it hilarious. The "cheese" gets to be the center of attention, even if they're technically "alone."
If you want to make it more interactive, try these specific tweaks:
- Animal Sounds: Every time an animal is mentioned (cow, dog, cat, rat), have the kids make the sound for that animal for four beats before starting the next verse.
- The "Freeze" Game: When you get to the "cheese stands alone," everyone has to freeze in a "cheese" pose. If you move, you’re the farmer for the next round.
- Prop Play: Give the kids actual cutouts or stuffed animals. It helps with the "taking" concept, making it more about the object and less about the social "choosing."
Fact-Checking the Lyrics
Don't let people tell you there's a "correct" version. Folk music is fluid. However, if you're looking for the version that appears in most 20th-century American songbooks, it is the one where the nurse comes after the child and before the cow.
Some people get confused and put the dog after the child. That’s a common mistake. The dog follows the cow. Why? Because a farm dog herding a cow is a more "factual" farm image than a dog chasing a child (hopefully).
The "hi-ho the derry-o" is the most stable part of the song. It has survived almost 150 years of American singing without changing much. That’s a longer run than most pop songs could ever dream of.
Next Steps for the Curious
If you’re interested in the history of these types of "incremental" songs, look into The Twelve Days of Christmas or Green Grow the Rushes, O. They all use the same cognitive "stacking" technique to help people remember long strings of information.
For the words to farmer in the dell, the best way to keep it alive is simply to keep singing it, even the weird parts. You can find high-quality recordings on Smithsonian Folkways if you want to hear how it sounded in the early 20th century before it became a polished "YouTube Kids" jingle.
Check out your local library’s children’s section for books by artists like Barefoot Books or Peter Spier, who have illustrated the song. Seeing the visual representation of a "dell" can actually help kids understand the lyrics better than just hearing the sounds.
The next time you hear that "hi-ho," remember you're participating in a centuries-old tradition of German-American folklore that has survived the transition from rural farmyards to digital screens. And maybe, just maybe, give the cheese a high-five. They've been standing alone for a long time.