# The Wheels on the Bus

"The Wheels on the Bus" is an American action song written by Verna Hills and published in 1937 as "The Bus"; each verse names a part of the bus and acts out its motion or sound.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Verna Hills |
| First known | 1937 (as “The Bus”) |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | dancing, playful |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-wheels-on-the-bus/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.

## How to sing it

1. Roll your hands around each other for the wheels going "round and round".
2. Swish your arms like wipers, press an imaginary horn, bounce for the bumps — a new action every verse.
3. Make up new verses for anything on the bus: the doors, the babies, the driver.

## Common questions

**Who wrote "The Wheels on the Bus"?**

The American writer Verna Hills (1898–1990), of Boston. It was published in the December 1937 issue of the magazine "American Childhood", where it was simply called "The Bus".

**What kind of song is "The Wheels on the Bus"?**

An action song: each verse names a part of the bus — the wheels, the wipers, the horn, the people — and everyone acts out its movement or makes its sound. It is modelled on the older English game song "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

**Have the words changed?**

A little. The 1937 original had lines like "over the city streets" and "bouncing off their seats"; most versions today end each verse with "all through the town" instead.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — The Wheels on the Bus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheels_on_the_Bus)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7774404