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children clapping in a farmyard around a friendly dog

United Kingdom · sung in English

Bingo

“Bingo” is an English-language singing game about a farmer’s dog, recorded in many forms and printed in this “Bobby Bingo” version in 1907.

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LyricsHistorical Bobby Bingo version (1907)

There was a farmer had a dog, His name was Bobby Bingo O. B, I, N, G, O, B, I, N, G, O, B, I, N, G, O, And Bingo was his name O!

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LyricsSupplied modern letter-clapping version

There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, And Bingo was his name-o. There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. (clap)-I-N-G-O, (clap)-I-N-G-O, (clap)-I-N-G-O, And Bingo was his name-o. There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. (clap)-(clap)-N-G-O, (clap)-(clap)-N-G-O, (clap)-(clap)-N-G-O, And Bingo was his name-o. There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-G-O, (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-G-O, (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-G-O, And Bingo was his name-o. There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-O, (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-O, (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-O, And Bingo was his name-o. There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap), (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap), (clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap), And Bingo was his name-o.

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Country of origin
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Sung in
English
Words by
Traditional
First known
1894 (collected variants); 1907 (version used here)
Best for ages
2–7
Mood
playful, educational, traditional
Last updated
23 August 2026

How to sing it

  1. Sing the historical stanza once through and clap a steady beat on each spelled letter.
  2. For the familiar modern game, repeat the stanza and replace one more letter with a clap each time until all five letters are silent.

Meaning and origin

“Bingo” has circulated as both a song and a game, with names, refrains, and rules changing between communities. Alice Gomme’s 1894 survey records several forms and describes the social game attached to them.

The stanza on this page is printed in the 1907 book What Shall We Do Now?. There the dog is “Bobby Bingo O”, and the five letters are sung three times. Gomme’s earlier 1894 collection already includes short forms that spell the five letters; the 1907 source is useful because it documents this particular “Bobby Bingo O” stanza and its ring-game directions.

The second panel preserves the supplied progressive clapping routine: sing once, then replace one more letter with a clap on every repetition. Keeping it beside, rather than inside, the 1907 stanza makes the two traditions easy to compare without implying that the modern game was printed in the older source.

Common questions

Was the dog always called Bingo?
No. Traditional versions vary, and the 1907 text on this page calls the dog “Bobby Bingo”. Alice Gomme had already collected related forms in 1894.
Is the letter-clapping pattern historical?
Replacing one more letter with a clap is now the best-known classroom game, but it is not printed in the 1907 source used for these lyrics.
Why are there two lyric versions?
The first panel preserves the 1907 “Bobby Bingo” stanza. The second gives the supplied modern six-round spelling game, replacing one additional letter with a clap in every round.

Sources

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