World Rhymes›Une souris verte
Une souris verte
“A green mouse”
FrenchCounting-out rhymePublic domain
A short French rhyme used to pick who is "out" in a game: the counter points at each child in turn, and whoever is pointed at on the last word has to leave the circle. It is better known today as a song, but the old books show that it began as a counting game.
The rhyme
Une souris verte
Qui courait dans l'herbe:
Je l'attrape par la queue,
Je la montre à ces messieurs,
Un, deux, trois.
C'est toi !
Good to know
What it means
A green mouse was running in the grass. I catch it by the tail and show it to the gentlemen. One, two, three: it is you!
How to play
The counter says the rhyme and points at each child in turn, one point for each stressed word. The child pointed at on "toi" is out, and the game goes on until only one child is left.
History
About this rhyme
Une souris verte is one of the most sung French children's rhymes, but old books show that it began as a counting-out rhyme: at the end the counter lands on one child, who is out. In 1883 the folklorist Eugène Rolland collected several endings from different parts of France, some with a girl's name or a golden horse. The familiar scene of dipping the mouse in oil and water appears in print only later, and the longer verses sung today are not part of the old rhyme. The green mouse is not explained in any early source.
Sources & rights
- The rhyme is anonymous and traditional. We show the short form printed in the Revue des traditions populaires in 1888; Eugène Rolland printed related counting rhymes in 1883.
- The meaning, the game instructions and the background text are written by us in our own words.
- There is no recording or tune on this page: we do not claim any.
Spotted a mistake or know a better source? Tell us. How we work · Get in touch
More rhymes from around the world
Counting rhymes, clapping games and little verses from many countries, in one place.
← All World Rhymes Lullaby Encyclopedia