My Hand on my Head (Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo)

My Hand on My Head (Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo)

7/13/2023

Lyrics and Chords

With my hands on my head what have we here?
This is my brain thinker my teacher dear,
Brain thinker, brain thinker nicky nacky nocky noo,
That's what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my eyes what have we here?
These are my eye blinkers my teacher dear,
Eye blinkers, brain thinker nicky nacky nocky noo,
That's what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my nose what have we here?
This is my smell boxer my teacher dear,
Smell boxer, eye blinkers, brain thinker nicky nacky nocky noo,
Thats' what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my chin what have we here?
This is my chin wagger my teacher dear,
Chin wagger, smell boxer, eye blinkers, brain thinker nicky nacky nocky noo,
Thats' what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my chest, what have we here?
This is my chest cougher my teacher dear,
Chest cougher, chin wagger, smell boxer, eye blinker, brain thinker nicky nacky nocky noo,
That's what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my tum, what have we here?
This is my bread basket my teacher dear, bread basket, chest cougher, chin wagger, smell boxer, eye blinker, brain thinker nicky nacky nocky noo,
that's what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my knees, what have we here?
These are my knee knockers my teacher dear,
knee knockers, bread basket, chest cougher, chin wagger, smell boxer,
eye blinker, brain thinker, nicky nacky nocky noo,
that's what they taught me when I went to school

With my hands on my toes, what have we here?
These are my toe tappers my teacher dear,
toe tappers, knee knockers, bread basket, chest cougher, chin wagger,
smell boxer, eye blinker, brain thinker, nicky nacky nocky noo,
that's what they taught me when I went to school!

Variations: In some versions the word mama is used instead of teacher.

Click to view and print free sheet music

Free Sheet Music from Funny Songs for Kids

Know a different version of the song? Write it out in the comments below

23 Comments

Bekki young

7/6/2016 09:31:23 pm

So happy to have found this!!! I could only remember "nicky nacky nocky noo" and bread basket. I will teach it to my students now. Thank you

Sarah

11/4/2016 03:14:29 am

Instead of my teacher dear, we sang 'Nothing to fear' and instead of nicky nacky nocky noo, we would sing, 'wibbly, wobbly, woos' whilst flapping our earlobes

Claire

2/18/2017 11:04:55 pm

I can remember singing this with my brother in the 70's when we were going on holiday he's going to be 50 shortly so want to bring back memories

seldz

3/12/2017 07:46:22 am

Sooooo happpyyyyy
I thought that I have lost this beautiful rhyme
Now i'm so happy

LAURA M

5/1/2017 04:43:51 pm

I leaned this in summer school in the early 1960s - and it was more of a slightly German version. The tune was a bit different, and the words went more like this (one verse example):

Mine hand on mine self, now vat ist das here?
Das ist mine bread basket (stomach), mine mama dear,
Bread basket, chest cougher, chin chucker, lip smacker, nose blower, eye blinker, svet boxer (brain), inky dinky do -
That's what I learnt in my school.

Ann

7/3/2019 11:31:54 am

That’s EXACTLY how I remember the song as well! And when I was searching for it, I had a hard time finding it. I knew it with German language like you! We had the GTEATEST music teacher in elementary school but this is the only song I can remember. Seems like we stood up next to our desks and had actions with it too??

Juliette

5/14/2020 03:24:47 pm

I learned it the German way too, just like that! Our verses were:

Toe-tapper
Knee-knocker
Bread-basket
Heart-beater
Throat-swallower
Chin-chopper
Meat-grinder
Nose-blower
Eye-blinker
Head-thinker
inky dinky doo

I don’t know if there was anything between the knees and the stomach - if so I have forgotten. This song takes me back to my childhood in the 60’s 😊

Jon

3/26/2018 11:28:45 am

This is awesome! My grandfather used to sing this every Christmas after a couple of whiskeys!!! He was a proper yorkshire man with a strong accent. But I remember it going -

“This is my bready boxer mighty fine cheer”

And

“With my hat on my head what have we here?”

Sasikala

4/29/2018 05:33:39 pm

Thank you so much for uploading the lyrics of this rhyme.i wanted to sing for my grand daughter.now she keeps asking for the song again and again

Eleanor

11/20/2019 01:21:29 pm

Head knocker, eye winker, nose bumper, mouth eater, chin chopper, (then tickle the child under the chin)

Patricia Filby

3/22/2020 02:21:26 am

That’s a fun one I had forgotten. Have been trying to remember childhood songs for our fun singing session at our local aged care facility. That’s one that will be such fun to share and to see how many residents remember it.

Cory link

11/25/2020 06:46:39 pm

This wwas lovely to read

Hollie

1/5/2021 06:02:21 am

Hahaha I used to love this song, has to have been about 30 years since I heard it but just randomly started singing it to myself.
Couldn’t remember what it was called, but it’s exactly how I remember singing it back in infant school. :)

Amy

2/21/2021 11:17:55 am

So cool! I'm glad to have these words again. My daughter and I could only remember toe tapper, head thinker, and knee knocker. I believe we sang "ring a ding doo, that's what I learned at daycare."

Erin M Thomas

3/28/2021 04:04:41 am

My Sister taught this to us back in the 50's. Her version went like this:
Hand on myself, what is das dis?
Das is my flea nester Mama my dear.
Flea nester, nicker nicker nicker new,
Das what I learned in der school, YA!
Flea nester was our hair. Each time we would put our hand on the next item down on our head. Going down from flea nester, it went to sweat boxer (forehead), eye winker (eyes), nose blower (nose), meal pusher (mouth), chin chopper (chin), etc. I know there was a knee knocker in there, but my memory has faded. It's just amazing how many ways this was sung. I'm sure glad I looked it up.

BarbJ

6/2/2023 06:03:42 pm

This is close to the way I remember it from the 60’s.

My hand on myself what is das dere? Dat is mt flea nester my mama dear, that’s what we earned in the school, ya ya.

Toe tapper
Knee knocker
Chair sitter
Bread basket
Heart beater
Meat chopper
Nose blower
Eye blinker
Sweat boxer
Flea nester.

On a family vacation, my brother who is 7 years older than me taught me this song as we took turns swinging on a very tall swing that overlooked a field. We were staying at my parent’s friend’s house that had a few acres so there were no close neighbors. Once I finally remembered all the words, I would be out on the swing singing this song as loud as I could, then I’d run into the house to ask my mom if she could hear, I sang “the whole song!” She didn’t hear me, the house was too far from the swing. (I must have been about 6 yrs old). So I ran back out to the swing, and sang it all again, louder. I was exhausted and lost my voice by the time I was done. Haha. So glad I found this post. I couldn’t remember all the song until I looked at all these versions of the song. Thanks everyone!!!

Jan

4/1/2021 05:32:26 pm

My grandad taught me this….

With my hands on my head, what have I here?
These are my ...... please, teacher dear,
foot-stompers
knee-knockers
thigh-benders
hip-swingers
bread basket
chest-protector
rubber-necker
chin-a-wagger
chatter-boxer
smelly-boxer
eye-blinkers
brain-thinker
Nicky-nicky–nicky-noo….
That's what they taught me when I went to school!

Tessa

8/22/2021 01:50:44 pm

I remember this song, but we sang it as "Mommy my dear" and " that's what I learned after school!" Or at least that's how I remembered from nearly 50 years ago

Rebecca

1/19/2022 02:11:24 am

I learnt this song the same as normal, with a few exceptions. One was:

With my hand on my lip (pointing to upper lip), what have I here?
This is my drip tray, full of good cheer.

We always said "full of good cheer" for each verse.

DanielB

1/29/2022 11:41:42 am

This is a wonderful discussion of an interesting old nursery song. I found a blog where it is discussed in great detail going back to its northern European roots and many more versions that people learned from their parents and grandparents:

https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/do-you-know-one-that-starts-head-knocker-eye-blinker/comment-page-5/#comment-14069711

beth palmer

11/9/2023 07:14:26 am

... change the " we " to " i " as in " with my hands on my head what have i here " because the word " my " is used so first person " i " needs to be used ... this is what i had in 1980 at ogg road undurba state school and gympie east state primary school ... if only you knew the origins of this song from the cannibal invasion from mount giluwe papua new guinea into cape york peninnsula in the 1960s ... on the fleets to and from port moresby and moreton bay coral sea and new georgia strait islands ...

Mrs June Franks

11/21/2023 02:12:42 pm

My father use to sing this song when we had party's, all I could remember was This is my Bread Basket my teacher dear. Thank you for bringing back memories.

Diane Peel

10/29/2024 01:19:47 am

A dear aunt taught me this 70 years ago.
I couldn't remember all lines
Now I'm able to teach my grandchildren
They probably will think I'm wacky!