Lyrics
I'm a little groundhog, Furry and brown. I pop my head out of my hole And look around. But if I see my shadow, I'll go back down. For 6 more weeks Of winter underground.
#I'm a little groundhog, Furry and brown. I pop my head out of my hole And look around. If I don't see my shadow, I'll stay out here. And you'll have Spring Early this year!
#I'm a Little Groundhog at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🌐 Unknown
- Sung in
- English
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- author, date and country not documented in the sources consulted
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 27 August 2026
How to sing it
- Crouch down low, then "pop" your head up to look around like the groundhog.
- Shade your eyes and glance down as if checking for your shadow.
- In the first verse, duck back down on "I'll go back down"; in the second, stay up and stretch your arms wide for spring.
Meaning and origin
This is a seasonal action song tied to a very particular day. On Groundhog Day — the 2nd of February — North American folklore says that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter; if the day is cloudy and it sees no shadow, spring is on its way. The song acts the whole superstition out twice over: in the first verse the furry groundhog pops its head out, spots its shadow, and goes back down for six more weeks of winter underground; in the second it sees no shadow, stays out, and promises an early spring.
It has no known author. The one collection that carries it gives no author, date or country, and although the custom is North American, nothing consulted says where the song itself was made up — so this page leaves that blank rather than guess. Its charm is the pop-up game and the little weather-forecast joke, which give young children a fun way into a seasonal custom: crouch, spring up, check for a shadow, and either duck back down or stretch out to welcome the spring.
Common questions
- What is "I'm a Little Groundhog" about?
- Groundhog Day (2 February). A little groundhog pops its head out of its hole to look around; if it sees its shadow, it goes back down for six more weeks of winter underground. A second verse gives the happy ending: if it sees no shadow, it stays out, and spring comes early this year.
- What is the Groundhog Day custom?
- A North American folk belief: on 2 February, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow sees its shadow (a sunny day), winter will last six more weeks; if it doesn't (a cloudy day), spring will come early. The song acts out that little piece of weather-lore.
- Who wrote "I'm a Little Groundhog"?
- No author is recorded. The only source consulted, the BusSongs collection, gives no author, date or country, so this page leaves its origin unknown; the custom it describes is North American, but where the song itself was written is not documented.
