Down by the Bay Lyrics

This traditional call-and-response song became widely known in North America after folk artist Raffi recorded and popularized it in 1976, though its rhyming-question format existed in oral tradition before that. It suits children ages 3 to 7, who delight in the absurd rhyming pairs like "a whale with a polka-dot tail." Early-childhood educators often use rhyme-generation songs like this to sharpen phonological awareness, since children must listen for a word and then invent something that rhymes with it, an active skill rather than passive listening. The repeated refrain, "back to my home, I dare not go," gives children a comforting, predictable anchor between each silly new verse. This structure also encourages creativity, since families can invent entirely new rhyming lines together, making every sing-along slightly different. The song works particularly well in the car or at bath time when kids want an interactive game rather than a passive listen. To read more about how rhyme play strengthens early language skills, see how nursery rhymes build reading skills.

Down by the bay,
Where the watermelons grow,
Back to my home,
I dare not go.
For if I do,
My mother will say:

"Did you ever see a goose, kissing a moose,
Down by the bay?"

Down by the bay,
Where the watermelons grow,
Back to my home,
I dare not go.
For if I do,
My mother will say:

"Did you ever see a whale, with a polka-dot tail,
Down by the bay?"

Down by the bay,
Where the watermelons grow,
Back to my home,
I dare not go.
For if I do,
My mother will say:

"Did you ever see a bear, combing his hair,
Down by the bay?"

Down by the bay,
Where the watermelons grow,
Back to my home,
I dare not go.
For if I do,
My mother will say:

"Did you ever see llamas, eating their pajamas,
Down by the bay?"