Bingo Lyrics

Bingo is a traditional spelling song with roots in Scotland and the wider United Kingdom dating back to around 1780, built around a farmer's dog whose name is spelled out one letter at a time. It's best suited to preschool and early elementary children, roughly ages 3 to 7, who are beginning to recognize individual letters and connect them to sounds. Early-childhood educators often use songs like this because dropping a letter with a clap in each successive verse turns basic spelling practice into a memory game, keeping children actively engaged rather than passively reciting the alphabet. The cumulative structure, b-i-n-g-o, then _-i-n-g-o, and so on, also builds working memory as children track which letters have been replaced by claps. Its cheerful, bouncy melody and farm-dog subject matter make it a natural fit for classroom singalongs and car-ride entertainment alike. To explore how playful repetition like Bingo's supports language learning more broadly, see Why Children Love Repetition in Songs.

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o!
B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O,
And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o!
(clap)-I-N-G-O, (clap)-I-N-G-O, (clap)-I-N-G-O,
And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o!
(clap)-(clap)-N-G-O, (clap)-(clap)-N-G-O, (clap)-(clap)-N-G-O,
And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o!
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap), (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap), (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap),
And Bingo was his name-o!