# A Tisket, A Tasket

"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" is an American ring-game rhyme first recorded in 1879, played by dropping a handkerchief behind a child in a circle; Ella Fitzgerald turned it into a hit song in 1938.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | 1879 |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | traditional, dancing, playful |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/a-tisket-a-tasket/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket.
I wrote a letter to my love,
and on the way I lost it,
I lost it, I lost it,
And on the way I lost it.

### Verse 2 (en)

A little boy picked it up,
And put it in his pocket,
his pocket, his pocket,
He put it in his pocket.

## How to sing it

1. Everyone sits or stands in a circle while one child walks around the outside with a basket or handkerchief.
2. On "I lost it", the walker secretly drops it behind someone.
3. That child grabs it and chases the walker around the ring; if caught, the walker stays "it", otherwise they swap places.

## Common questions

**What kind of song is "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"?**

It is a ring-game rhyme, first recorded in the United States in 1879. One child circles the outside of a seated ring and secretly drops a handkerchief or basket behind another, who must snatch it up and give chase — the "lost" letter in the song is really the dropped handkerchief.

**Isn't "A Tisket, A Tasket" also a famous jazz song?**

Yes. In 1938 a young Ella Fitzgerald reworked the nursery rhyme into a swing number with the Chick Webb Orchestra. It became her breakthrough hit, reached number one, and turned a children's game into a jazz standard.

**Why does "A Tisket, A Tasket" sound like other nursery rhymes?**

Its tune is shared with several others, including "Rain, Rain, Go Away", "It's Raining, It's Pouring" and "Ring Around the Rosie" — a simple, singable melody that many children's rhymes borrow.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — A-Tisket, A-Tasket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-Tisket,_A-Tasket)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4646947