Miss Mary Mack

Miss Mary Mack is one of the most popular English-language clapping games for children. Parents, it’s time to remember, and share it with your children! A great way to combine learning-to-read and kinesthetic activity, including jump-roping and clapping the lyrics.

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons [butt’ns]All down her back, back, back.

(She could not read, read, read
She could not write, write, write,
But she could smoke, smoke, smoke
Her father’s, pipe, pipe, pipe)

She asked her mother, mother, mother
for fifty cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants (or hippos)
Jump the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high
they reached the sky, sky, sky
And didn’t come back, back, back
Till the 4th of July, ‘ly, ‘ly!

July can’t walk, walk, walk
July can’t talk, talk, talk
July can’t eat, eat, eat
With a knife and fork, fork, fork).

She asked her mother, mother, mother
For 5 cents more, more, more
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the door, door, door.

They jumped so low, low, low
They stubbed their toe, toe, toe
And that was the end, end, end,
Of the elephant show, show, show!