Ten Green Speckled Frogs
One by one they jump into the cool pool — then there were none
Listen
Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Ten green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were nine green speckled frogs.
Nine green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were eight green speckled frogs.
Eight green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were seven green speckled frogs.
Seven green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were six green speckled frogs.
Six green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were five green speckled frogs.
Five green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were four green speckled frogs.
Four green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were three green speckled frogs.
Three green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were two green speckled frogs.
Two green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were one green speckled frogs.
One green speckled frogs sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious grub.
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool,
Now there were no green speckled frogs.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
"Ten Green Speckled Frogs" is a popular counting-down song for young children, combining the pleasure of a clear narrative — frogs on a log, eating grubs, jumping into a pool — with the educational purpose of counting backwards from ten. Like "Ten Green Bottles", it reaches its conclusion when the number reaches none.
The detail of the "speckled log" and the "most delicious grub" gives the frogs a vividness that counting exercises often lack. These are not abstract units being subtracted; they are individual frogs with appetites and preferences, sitting on a specific log before choosing, one by one, to jump into the pool. The pool being "nice and cool" makes the jumping seem like a reasonable decision, which is a small but pleasing touch.
The song works well with physical actions — children can sit in a line and jump off one at a time as the song counts down — making it a useful tool for managing group dynamics in nursery settings as well as for teaching number sequences.
Counting songs of this type have been used in early years education for generations. The combination of music, narrative, and number gives children multiple ways to anchor the counting sequence in their memory.
