# Ten Green Bottles

“Ten Green Bottles” is a British countdown song printed in The Oxford Song Book, Volume II (1931), in which one bottle falls in every verse until none remain.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | Printed in The Oxford Song Book, Volume II (1931); separate Whittaker setting in 1935 |
| Best for ages | 3–7 |
| Mood | counting, educational, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/ten-green-bottles/ |

## Lyrics

### Full countdown in the familiar wording (editorial expansion, not a transcription of the 1931 print) (en)

Ten green bottles standing on the wall,
Ten green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be nine green bottles standing on the wall.

Nine green bottles standing on the wall,
Nine green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be eight green bottles standing on the wall.

Eight green bottles standing on the wall,
Eight green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be seven green bottles standing on the wall.

Seven green bottles standing on the wall,
Seven green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be six green bottles standing on the wall.

Six green bottles standing on the wall,
Six green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be five green bottles standing on the wall.

Five green bottles standing on the wall,
Five green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be four green bottles standing on the wall.

Four green bottles standing on the wall,
Four green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be three green bottles standing on the wall.

Three green bottles standing on the wall,
Three green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be two green bottles standing on the wall.

Two green bottles standing on the wall,
Two green bottles standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be one green bottle standing on the wall.

One green bottle standing on the wall,
One green bottle standing on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’d be no green bottle standing on the wall.

## How to sing it

1. Begin slowly so everyone can hear the repeated words and the action cue.
2. Use ten paper bottle shapes or counters, remove one after every fall, and show empty hands at zero.
3. Repeat the song once and invite a different child to lead the cues.

## Common questions

**Why are both 1931 and 1935 associated with Ten Green Bottles?**

The song appears in The Oxford Song Book, Volume II, which the Swedish folk music archive’s catalogue dates to 1931 (page 102, opening “There were ten green bottles hanging”). William Gillies Whittaker’s separate setting, described as a traditional Yorkshire song, was published in 1935.

**Is the full countdown printed exactly in the historical source?**

The song works by repeating one stanza with a number reduced each time. This page labels the complete ten-to-zero text as an editorial expansion so readers can distinguish the usable full countdown from the sourced repeating pattern.

## Sources

- [Svenskt visarkiv catalogue — Green Bottles, The Oxford Song Book (II), London 1931, p. 102](https://katalog.visarkiv.se/lib/views/visolat/ShowRecord.aspx?id=967478)
- [IMSLP — Whittaker’s Green Bottles setting (1935)](https://imslp.org/wiki/Green_Bottles_%28Whittaker%2C_William_Gillies%29)