# Why is The Alphabet song sung to the tune of Twinke Twinkle Little Star? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228 "2004-12-22T22:11:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/1 "2004-12-22T22:11:31Z")
I assume that TTLS came first, however, don’t quote me on that; I’m not sure. But even if it didn’t, then why is TTLS sung to the tune of The Alphabet Song then? Say the ABCs right now in that way that you’ve learned them back in grade school. Listen to the tune. Is it now also Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? So I was sitting at the bus stop today and this question popped into my head while I was passing the time by singing various nursery rhymes. After the recognition, I then tried singing the ABC song using other kid song methods. I started out with: Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques _ABCD EFGH_ Dormez vous? Dormez vous? _IJK LMN_ Sonnez les matines _OPQRST_\* Sonnez les matines _UVWXY_ Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong _Last comes Z, Last comes Z._ I tried: Row, row, row your boat, _ABC D E_ Gently down the stream. _FGHIJ_ Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, _KLM NOP QRS TUV_ Life is but a dream. _W X Y and Z_ I even attempted: My Bonny lies over the ocean _ABCDEFGHI_! My Bonny lies over the sea _JKLMNOPQ_! My Bonny lies over the ocean _RSTUVdouble youXY…_ Oh bring back my Bonny to me… _And then at the end we have Z_. But none fit quite as well as Twinkle Twinkle. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, _ABCDEFG_ How I wonder what you are. _HIJK LMNOP_ Up above the world so high, _QRS TUV_ Like a diamond in the sky. _WX Y and Z_ Twinkle, twinkle, little star, _Now I know my ABCs_ How I wonder ? what you are. _Next time won’t you sing with me?_ So why is this? Why did, whoever wrote the Alphabet Song, use THAT nursery rhyme of all of them? What’s the story behind it? Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/2 "2004-12-22T22:16:51Z")
[The archives.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/malphabetsong.html) ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/3 "2004-12-22T22:18:10Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > [The archives.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/malphabetsong.html) Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/4 "2004-12-22T22:26:24Z")
Don’t forget _Baa Baa Blacksheep_. I felt so cheated when I discovered all those songs were the same as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/5 "2004-12-22T22:39:53Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Don’t forget _Baa Baa Blacksheep_. I felt so cheated when I discovered all those songs were the same as a kid. Now that I think about it, Frère Jacques and Where is Thumbkin are the same too… ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/6 "2004-12-22T22:53:27Z")
Bastards! :mad: Here I thought I was a kid who _knew_ stuff! What about the _Farmer in the Dell_? _Looks around accusingly_ Well, go ahead, burst my bubble. Go on I dare ya! Does Frère Jacques/Thumbkin really count though? One’s in a different language. They’re aren’t the same “story”, but I dounno if I feel cheated by a song that was adapted to another language. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/7 "2004-12-22T23:00:08Z")
Uh, what about the _Farmer in the Dell_? I don’t know any other songs that go with that tune. I can sing _Frere Jacques_ in 3 languages, though–it seems to be a popular one. I always think it’s neat to find out about that stuff; it’s like a little extra bonus. So I guess I don’t feel cheated. Lots of other songs share tunes, too. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/8 "2004-12-23T00:49:14Z")
Dunno how common this is in other cultures, but I’ve noticed that some of my wife’s “kid songs” were Western kid songs with new lyrics added (she’s from China). ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/9 "2004-12-23T01:26:55Z")
I once heard that British children use a different tune for their alphabet song–which makes sense, as “t, u, v” doesn’t rhyme very well with “y and zed.” But I can’t remember how the melody goes, or even if there is one standard British alphabet melody. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/10 "2004-12-23T03:59:53Z")
[Hijack] No, it’s not really a child’s song, but Amazing Grace, sung to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island Theme Song [/highjack] Sorry. Couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/11 "2004-12-23T14:22:01Z")
What is the translation of the French in the Cecil column? > [@](#): > > Ah! vous dirai-je, maman, > Ce qui cause mon tourment > Depuis que j’ai vu Silvandre > Me regarder d’un air tendre, > Mon coeur dit a tout moment: > Peut-on vivre sans amant? ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/12 "2005-01-04T02:02:28Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > What is the translation of the French in the Cecil column? The translation is: ```auto Shall I tell you, [my] mother, What is causing my torment? Ever since I saw Sylvester Watching me with an air so tender, My heart asks me all the time: Can one live without a lover? ``` I tried to allow for meter in the translation, but I can’t get it to rhyme. Also, it’s literally “my heart tells me”, but I’m not sure how one can be told a question, so I changed that. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alphabet-song-sung-to-the-tune-of-twinke-twinkle-little-star/281228/13 "2005-01-04T03:08:10Z")
> [@Idle Thoughts](#): > > How I wonder what you are. > _HIJK LMNOP_ > > Up above the world so high, > _QRS TUV_ > > Like a diamond in the sky. > _WX Y and Z_ This is the way I learned it also, but in my father’s day (“day” meaning “childhood” here, not necessarily “prime of life”) it differed slightly after “How I wonder what you are”, thus– Up above the world so high, - LMNOP (again) QRST\* Like a diamond in the sky - UVWXYZ \* So in the earlier version there is reiteration, but the flow is better and you get to lose that “and” at the end. Matter of taste, I guess, but I think I prefer the earlier. Anyway, my musical tastes have evolved since so it’s pretty academic.