Two Little Dickie Birds
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Two Little Dickie Birds is an English Nursery Rhyme.
- Two Little Dickie Birds Sitting on a Wall
- One named Peter
- The other named Paul
- Fly away Peter
- Fly away Paul
- Come Back Peter
- Come Back Paul
[edit] Hand actions
The adult, out of sight of the child, will mark in some conspicuous way the nail of the index finger of one hand and the nail of the second finger of the other hand. Both hands are then shown to the child as fists (folded fingers downwards) with the two fingers with marked nails pointing forward – these represent Peter and Paul. As the rhyme is recited, the hand actions are thus:
| Line | Action |
|---|---|
| Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall | Both of the exposed, marked, fingers are wiggled to attract attention |
| One named Peter | Wiggle one marked finger, Peter, to attract attention |
| The other named Paul | Wiggle other marked finger, Paul, to attract attention |
| Fly away Peter | The Peter hand is quickly drawn back alongside the adult’s head. As part of the movement the adult folds the marked finger and sticks out the second finger of the same hand and drops the hand back down to the original position. The child sees that the marking, Peter, is no longer there – it has flown away |
| Fly away Paul | The action is repeated with the other hand |
| Come Back Peter | The action is reversed to make Peter reappear |
| Come Back Paul | The action is reversed to make Paul reappear |
It is very rare that a small child will realise the sleight of hand.
[edit] In popular culture
- A pop version was recorded by Petula Clark in 1951, titled Fly Away Peter, Fly Away Paul.
- The lyrics of the 1975 Jethro Tull song One White Duck / 010 = Nothing At All, make a reference to the nursery rhyme: "So fly away Peter, and fly away Paul, from the fingertip ledge of contentment".
- the nursery rhyme was included in Sesame Street. even adding more birds in different places (sparrows, doves, robins, & crows)
- On Hollywood Squares was this exchange:
Q. What did Gilbert and Sullivan's Dickie Bird say?
PAUL LYNDE: "Let's not wallow in Watergate."
