"A Sailor Went to Sea" is a traditional children's clapping game, and skipping rhyme. It was initially called 'My Father Went to Sea', before becoming more widely known as 'A Sailor Went to Sea'. [1]
"My father Went to Sea" originated in Brockley at Mile End sometime in 1967 by an unknown writer. [2] From there, it spread throughout London in the early 1970s to West Norwood and Battersea Brixton. [2] The song was first recorded by Iona Opie in Birmingham in 1972. [3] After the fourth verse, the initial words typically replace "sea/see" with other words, such as "chop", "knee", "bed", "pick", or "toes", with appropriate gestural substitutions. [4] According to the Opies, the title "A Sailor Went to Sea" was a joke that originated or was perpetuated in the song "We Joined the Navy" (aka "We Saw The Sea") from the 1936 movie Follow the Fleet. [2]
A first verse of A Sailor Went To Sea goes as:
While saying "sea", aquatic waves are mimed with the hand; while saying "see", the hand is brought to the eye to mime a "seeing" gesture.
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