Robin and Richard
Robin and Richard
Were two pretty men;
They stayed in bed
Till the clock struck ten.
Then up starts Robin
And looks at the sky:
“Oh, brother Richard,
The sun's very high.
You go before
With the bottle and bag,
And I will come after
On little Jack nag.”
Origins
Nobody’s quite sure when this rhyme first came along, but it was already in print by the 1700s. Chances are, it was part of everyday chatter long before that. Robin and Richard weren’t meant to be famous — they were just common names, the sort you’d hear in any English village. The humor isn’t complicated: two fellows laze in bed far too long, only to realize the day’s already slipping away. It’s the kind of scene that must have felt very familiar in farm life, where every hour of daylight counted. People likely laughed because they knew a “Robin” or a “Richard” in their own village who acted just the same.
Meaning
At face value, it’s a joke about two men who can’t get out of bed. Children would laugh at the image of the clock striking ten before they finally stirred. Adults may have heard a sly jab at idleness — a reminder that wasting the morning was frowned upon in farming communities where daylight hours mattered. The playful part is in the excuse-making: Robin sends Richard ahead with the gear, promising to follow later on his little nag. The rhyme doesn’t spell out whether he ever catches up.
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