Monday's Child
Encyclopedia
‘Monday's Child’ is one of many fortune-telling songs, popular as nursery rhymes for children. It is supposed to tell a child's character or future based on the day they were born and help young children remember the days of the week. As with all nursery rhymes, there are many versions. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 19526.
recalled stories told to "yong folks" in Suffolk in the 1570s which included "tell[ing] what luck eurie one should have by the day of the weeke he was borne on". Nashe thus provides evidence for fortune telling rhymes of this type circulating in Suffolk
in the 1570s.
There was considerable variation and debate about the exact attributes of each day and even over the days. Halliwell had 'Christmas Day' instead of the Sabbath. Despite modern versions in which "Wednesday's child is full of woe," an early incarnation of this rhyme appeared in a multi-part fictional story in a chapter appearing in Harper's Weekly
on September 17, 1887, in which "Friday's child is full of woe", perhaps reflecting traditional superstitions associated with bad luck on Friday - as liturgical Christians associated Friday with the Crucifixion. In addition to Wednesday's and Friday's children's role reversal, the fates of Thursday's and Saturday's children was also exchanged and Sunday's child is "happy and wise" instead of "blithe and good".
In T.V.:
In popular music:
Sunday's Child was the name of a 1970s trio of African-American female singers, which featured singer-actress Ren Woods.
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 19526.
Lyrics
Common modern versions include:- Monday's child is fair of face
- Tuesday's child is full of grace,
- Wednesday's child is full of woe,
- Thursday's child has far to go,
- Friday's child is loving and giving,
- Saturday's child works hard for a living,
- But the child who is born on the Sabbath DaySundaySunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. For most Christians, Sunday is observed as a day for worship of God and rest, due to the belief that it is Lord's Day, the day of Christ's resurrection....
- Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Origins
This rhyme was first recorded in A. E. Bray's Traditions of Devonshire (Volume II, pp.287-288) in 1838 and was collected by James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-nineteenth century. The tradition of fortune telling by days of birth is much older. Thomas NasheThomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...
recalled stories told to "yong folks" in Suffolk in the 1570s which included "tell[ing] what luck eurie one should have by the day of the weeke he was borne on". Nashe thus provides evidence for fortune telling rhymes of this type circulating in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in the 1570s.
There was considerable variation and debate about the exact attributes of each day and even over the days. Halliwell had 'Christmas Day' instead of the Sabbath. Despite modern versions in which "Wednesday's child is full of woe," an early incarnation of this rhyme appeared in a multi-part fictional story in a chapter appearing in Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
on September 17, 1887, in which "Friday's child is full of woe", perhaps reflecting traditional superstitions associated with bad luck on Friday - as liturgical Christians associated Friday with the Crucifixion. In addition to Wednesday's and Friday's children's role reversal, the fates of Thursday's and Saturday's children was also exchanged and Sunday's child is "happy and wise" instead of "blithe and good".
Cultural references
In literature:- Monday's Child (2004) and Tuesday's Child (2005) are novels written by Louise Bagshawe
- Wednesday's Child (1956) is the title of a short story by William TennWilliam TennWilliam Tenn was the pseudonym of Philip Klass , a British-born American science fiction author, notable for many stories with satirical elements.-Early life:...
(pen name of Philip Klass) published in Fantastic Universe in 1956. - Wednesday's Child (1960) is a novel by Margaret Arbore Berg
- Wednesday's Child (2011) is a short story by Ken BruenKen BruenKen Bruen is an Irish writer of hard-boiled and noir crime fiction.He was born in Galway, and educated at Gormanston College, County Meath and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Ph.D. in metaphysics. He spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, S.E. Asia and...
, nominated for the 2011 CWACrime Writers' AssociationThe Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
Short Story Dagger - Wednesday AddamsWednesday AddamsWednesday Friday Addams is a member of the fictional Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker.-Wednesday:In Charles Addams's cartoons, Wednesday and other members of the family had no names...
of The Addams FamilyThe Addams FamilyThe Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
is said to have been named after the phrase, "Wednesday's child is full of woe." Her middle name, Friday, corresponds to the 1887 version. - Thursday's Child (1956) is one of Eartha KittEartha KittEartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
's three autobiographies. - Thursday's Child (1970) is a novel by Noel StreatfeildNoel StreatfeildMary Noel Streatfeild OBE , known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author, most famous for her children's books including Ballet Shoes . Several of her novels have been adapted for film or television.-Biography:...
. - Thursday's Child (2000) is the title of a novel by Sonya HartnettSonya HartnettSonya Hartnett is an Australian author.Hartnett writes fiction variously for children, young adults and adults and has won numerous prizes and awards, having been described as "the finest Australian writer of her generation". She wrote her first novel, Trouble All the Way, at the age of thirteen...
. - Friday's ChildFriday's Child (novel)Friday's Child is a novel written by Georgette Heyer in 1944. It is generally considered one of Miss Heyer's best Regency romances, and was reportedly the favourite of the author herself...
(1944) is a novel by Georgette HeyerGeorgette HeyerGeorgette Heyer was a British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer...
. - "Old Mama Saturday ('Saturday's Child Must Work for a Living')" (1995) by Marie PonsotMarie PonsotMarie Ponsot, née Birmingham is an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator.-Life:Ponsot was born in Brooklyn, New York, but along with her brother grew up in Jamaica, Queens. She was already writing poems as a child, some of which were published in the Brooklyn Daily...
, featured in the 1995 volume of the annual Best American Poetry, vol. 8 (New York: Collier Books, 1995), refers to the rhyme in its title. - Prior Walter refers to the poem in Tony KushnerTony KushnerAnthony Robert "Tony" Kushner is an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993 for his play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, and co-authored with Eric Roth the screenplay for the 2005 film, Munich.-Life and career:Kushner was born...
's play Angels in AmericaAngels in AmericaAngels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is the 1993 Pulitzer Prize winning play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. It has been made into both a television miniseries and an opera by Peter Eötvös.-Characters:...
(1985-86) (Act III Scene 1)
In T.V.:
- Wednesday's Child is the title of a play in the umbrella series Kraft Television Theatre (season 1, episode 15), broadcast on January 21, 1954.
- "Friday's Child" (1967) is the title of an episode of the original Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
television series. - "Thursday's Child" is the title of an episode in the fifth season of the series Road to AvonleaRoad to AvonleaRoad to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
, in which Great Aunt Eliza recites part of this poem in relation to Cecily. - "Thursday's Child" is the title of an episode of Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
in season 7. - "Wednesday's Child" is the title of an episode in season 1 of the US version of Prime SuspectPrime Suspect (U.S. TV series)Prime Suspect is an American police procedural television drama series that premiered on NBC on September 22, 2011. It stars Maria Bello as Detective Jane Timoney. The series is a "re-imagining" of the British series by the same name. The series was created by Lynda La Plante and was redeveloped by...
.
In popular music:
- Nancy SinatraNancy SinatraNancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
had a hit in 1966 with "Friday's Child", which contains the lines "Friday's child her sister's misery...Friday's child they'll forget to bury..." - David GatesDavid GatesDavid Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
, later of BreadBread (band)Bread was a rock band from Los Angeles, California. They placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a prime example of what later was labeled soft rock....
, composed a song called "Saturday's ChildSaturday's Child"Saturday's Child" is a popular song, written by David Gates, in an unusual departure from his more common easy listening style , and performed by The Monkees. The song is an electric-guitar based rock song, and some fans of The Monkees consider it to be unusually "tough" for their first album...
" that was included on the 1960s' American pop rock band The MonkeesThe MonkeesThe Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
' eponymous first albumThe Monkees (album)The Monkees is the first album by the band The Monkees. It was released in October 1966 by Colgems Records in the United States and RCA Records in the rest of the world. It was the first of four consecutive U.S. number one albums for the group, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks....
(1966). - The Beatles song "Lady MadonnaLady Madonna"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney . In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India...
" (1968) includes the line: "Monday's child has learned to tie his bootlace." - The Raiders' 1970 album "CollageCollageA collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
" contains the track "Wednesday's Child", the lyrics of which are another variation of the "Monday's Child" nursery rhyme, with the song ending with the lines "Wednesday's child is full of woe. Woe I know, I am Wednesday's Child". - The ChameleonsThe ChameleonsThe Chameleons were an English post-punk band that formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever...
' 1983 album Script of the BridgeScript of the BridgeScript of the Bridge is the 1983 debut album by The Chameleons. The album was later released on limited edition picture disc by Statik Records in 1985. The Chameleons U.K...
contains the track Thursday's Child. - Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
wrote a song entitled "Friday's Child" (1971) while with the band ThemThem (band)Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career...
. - "Tuesday's Child" is the title of a song on the second albumReal Life ConversationsReal Life Conversations is the second album from Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman. The album was released in 1988 by Sparrow Records and produced by Phil Naish....
(1988) by Contemporary Christian musician Steven Curtis ChapmanSteven Curtis ChapmanSteven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
. - David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
included a song called "Thursday's Child" on his 1999 album 'Hours...''Hours...''Hours...' is a 1999 album by British musician David Bowie. It was released on Virgin Records. This was Bowie's final album for the EMI sub-label....
. - "Wednesday's Child" is a song by Emiliana TorriniEmilíana TorriniEmilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
which appears on her 1999 album Love in the Time of ScienceLove in the Time of ScienceLove in the Time of Science is an album by Emilíana Torrini. The album was recorded and released in 1999 with a variety of collaborators, including Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths, Eg White, Siggi Baldursson, and Mark Abis...
. - Will YoungWill YoungWilliam Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
released an album named Friday's ChildFriday's Child (album)Friday's Child is the second album from original Pop Idol winner Will Young. The album was released on 1 December 2003 and reached #1 in the UK Album Chart...
(2003). The title track has a variant of the rhyme as its chorus. - Isobel CampbellIsobel CampbellIsobel Campbell is a Scottish singer, cellist and composer in the indie and rock genres.-History:Campbell was a member of Belle & Sebastian from their formation in Glasgow in 1996 until 2002, when she departed the band for personal reasons. She played cello and keyboards with the band, and sang...
included a song called "Thursday's Child" on her album Milkwhite SheetsMilkwhite SheetsMilkwhite Sheets is the fourth solo album released by former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell. The album was released on October 23, 2006. It brings traditional songs from United Kingdom and songs written by Campbell...
(2006). - "Måndagsbarn" (Monday's child) (2008) is a song by Swedish singer Veronica MaggioVeronica MaggioVeronica Sandra Karin Maggio is a Swedish singer of Swedish and Italian origin. She won the category "Årets nykomling" in the Grammisgalan 2007....
. - Vermillion LiesVermillion LiesVermillion Lies are a cabaret band from Oakland, California. The band consists of sisters Kim Boekbinder and Zoe Boekbinder. They are known for incorporating elements of circus and folk into their music...
composed a song called Wednesday's Child on their album What's In The Box - The Belle & SebastianBelle & SebastianBelle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
song "The Chalet Lines" from the album Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a PeasantFold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a PeasantFold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant is the fourth album from the Scottish group Belle & Sebastian. The album was released to generally favourable reviews....
refers to an unfortunate character who is "Full of woe and further to go", derived from a combination of Wednesday's and Thursday's child.
Sunday's Child was the name of a 1970s trio of African-American female singers, which featured singer-actress Ren Woods.
External links
- Day of the week calculator from Ancestor Search