Apples and Bananas Lyrics

This playful 20th-century American nursery favorite takes a simple phrase and reshapes it by swapping out vowel sounds verse by verse, turning "apples and bananas" into silly variations like "ay-ples and bay-nay-nays." It's best suited to children ages 3 to 6 who are just starting to notice how sounds change within words. Early-childhood educators often use vowel-substitution songs like this to build phonemic awareness, the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds, which is a foundational skill for later reading. The humor of the changing vowels keeps children engaged far longer than a straightforward phonics drill would, and the repetitive structure means kids can predict and anticipate the next silly sound. Because there's no right or wrong way to be silly with it, the song also gives children confidence to experiment with language playfully. Parents can extend the game by inventing new vowel swaps together at snack time. For more on how songs like this build reading readiness, see how to teach kids to read with songs.

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas,
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.

I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay-nays,
I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay-nays.

I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-nees,
I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-nees.

I like to ite, ite, ite eye-ples and by-ny-nys,
I like to ite, ite, ite eye-ples and by-ny-nys.

I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-nos,
I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-nos.

I like to ute, ute, ute oo-ples and boo-noo-noos,
I like to ute, ute, ute oo-ples and boo-noo-noos.

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas,
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.