Ding dong bell
Ding, dong bell,
Pussy’s in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Green.
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that
To try to drown poor pussy cat,
Who never did him any harm
And killed the mice in his father’s barn.
Nursery rhyme origin
Versions of this very old nursery rhyme date back to the late 16th century.
Shakespeare used ‘Ding, dong, bell’ in The Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene II:
“Let us all ring fancy’s bell;
I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell.”
And in The Tempest, Act I, Scene II:
“Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Hark! Now I hear them – Ding, dong, bell.”