Ten Green Bottles

Album: Kid's Classics (1830)
Play Video
  • Ten green bottles standing on the wall
    Ten green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be nine green bottles standing on the wall

    Nine green bottles standing on the wall
    Nine green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be eight green bottles standing on the wall

    Eight green bottles standing on the wall
    Eight green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be seven green bottles standing on the wall

    Seven green bottles standing on the wall
    Seven green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be six green bottles standing on the wall

    Six green bottles standing on the wall
    Six green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be five green bottles standing on the wall

    Five green bottles standing on the wall
    Five green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be four green bottles standing on the wall

    Four green bottles standing on the wall
    Four green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be three green bottles standing on the wall

    Three green bottles standing on the wall
    Three green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be two green bottles standing on the wall

    Two green bottles standing on the wall
    Two green bottles standing on the wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be one green bottle standing on the wall

    One green bottle standing on a wall
    One green bottle standing on a wall
    And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
    There’ll be no green bottles standing on a wall Lyrics from a song in Public Domain

Comments: 2

  • Thomas Flanagan from Wigan LancsMy mother recounted this as a playground song used in skipping etc. However the "libretto" ran somewhat differently involving youngsters of non-white ethnicity.
    There were other such skipalong rhymes and ditties from the 1920s and 1930s including, as a tribute to Ghandi's visit to Lancashire at that time, one telling of his unfortunate mishap as a result of his sitting on a box of eggs; there are plenty more that I can recall, but modern sensitivities would be cruelly assaulted by the rare language.
    You can sanitise your bathroom, but bleach has no effect on phenomena of an abstract kind, such as the past.
  • Greg from EdinburghThe origin myth is from a spoof article: http://www.standingstones.com/greenbot.html
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.