The Grand Old Duke of York Lyrics

A traditional English action rhyme dating back centuries, in which a duke marches ten thousand men up and down a hill. Best for ages 2–6. It is one of the very best first action songs: children stand up on "up," crouch down on "down," and freeze "halfway up" — turning the rhyme into a whole-body game that builds gross-motor control, listening, and the ability to follow directional words (up, down, halfway). That up/down/halfway play is also an early, embodied introduction to positional language and opposites. Speed the song up on repeats for giggles and extra coordination practice. For more songs that get the whole body moving, see our [movement songs for circle time](/blog/movement-songs-for-circle-time) and [top 20 action songs for toddlers](/blog/top-20-action-songs-for-toddlers).

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down.