# Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree

"Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree" is an American counting-down fingerplay in which monkeys tease an alligator and vanish one by one with a SNAP — one of the family of "Five Little Monkeys" counting songs.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | dancing, playful, counting |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-little-monkeys-swinging-in-a-tree/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Five little monkeys swinging on a tree,
Teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can't catch me, can't catch me!"
Along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be, and
SNAP!

### Verse 2 (en)

Four little monkeys swinging on a tree…
Three little monkeys swinging on a tree…
Two little monkeys swinging on a tree…
One little monkey swinging on a tree…

## How to sing it

1. Hold up five fingers for the monkeys and swing your hand along the branch.
2. Wag a finger for "can't catch me!" as the monkeys tease the alligator.
3. Clap your hands together sharply on "SNAP!" — and put one finger down.
4. Count down verse by verse until no monkeys are left.

## Common questions

**What kind of song is this?**

A counting-down fingerplay for young children. It starts with five monkeys and loses one each verse — here to a snapping alligator — until none are left, so children rehearse counting backwards while doing the actions.

**Is it the same as "Five Little Monkeys jumping on the bed"?**

They belong to the same family of "Five Little Monkeys" counting songs, all built on the same count-down-from-five idea, but they are different songs: this one has the monkeys teasing an alligator, the other has them bumping their heads on a bed.

**Who wrote "Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree"?**

No author or firm date is on record. Like most modern preschool fingerplays it comes from oral classroom tradition in the United States rather than from a single, documented source.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — Five Little Monkeys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Little_Monkeys)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18643500