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Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Come dear mother hear me say
What I can of ABC
A - B - C - D - E - F - G
H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P
Q - R - S and T - U - V
W and X - Y - Z
Now you've heard my A - B - C
Tell me what you think of me
Now my alphabet is through
Will you hear dear sister too?
A - B - C - D - E - F - G
She has said them all to me
Q - R - S and T - U - V
W and X - Y - Z
Now we've said our A - B - C
Let us have a kiss from thee
A - B - C - D - E - F - G
H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P
Q - R - S and T - U - V
W and X - Y - Z
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
The Alphabet Song is one of the most widely sung children's songs in the English-speaking world, and its origins stretch back more than two centuries. The melody is not original to the song — it is borrowed from the French tune "Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman," first published in 1761. That same melody also underpins two other nursery rhyme favourites: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep, which is why all three feel so immediately familiar.
The English-language Alphabet Song as we know it today was first published in 1835 by Charles Bradlee in Boston, under the title "The A.B.C., a German air with variations for the flute with an easy accompaniment for the piano forte." The lyrics set the letters of the English alphabet to the French melody in a sequence that remains more or less unchanged today.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart famously composed a set of twelve variations on the "Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman" theme around 1781–82, demonstrating just how enduring and adaptable this simple tune has proved across the centuries.
The song has been a cornerstone of early childhood education in English-speaking countries for nearly two centuries, helping generations of children memorise the alphabet through rhythm and repetition. In the Nursery Rhymes Collections recording, the arrangement by Ian Watts and Mike Wilbury gives this deceptively simple song a warm, friendly character that invites children to sing along.
Historical background sourced from Wikipedia.
