Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Jane Taylor wrote the lyrics in 1806.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
In the dark blue sky you keep,
While you thro' my window peep,
And you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
(and here is new verse written by one of our visitors, Mr. Joel Hebets)
Softly shining silver moon,
Peeking at me in my room,
When you're in the sky at night,
The world around me glows so brightly,
Softly shining silver moon,
If you go, please come back soon.
Eighteenth-Century French Folk Song: Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman
Many years before the lyrics to "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" were written, children across France sang the words to "Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman" (K. 265), presented below, to a similar tune. Seventeen-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used the melody in his piano variation. Pleasing, organized melodies such as this one have great value for children and adults alike. Music speaks in a language that children instinctively understand, and it helps mold a child's mental, emotional, social, and physical development. The original words below are not about stars, they are about a child's desire for candy!
Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman,
Ce qui cause mon tourment?
Papa veut que je raisonne,
Comme une grande personne;
Moi, je dis que les bonbons
Valent mieux que la raison.
Ah! Let me tell you, Mother,
What's the cause of my torment?
Papa wants me to reason
Like a grown-up.
Me, I say that candy has
Greater value than reason.
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