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The Wheels on the Bus

Sing and move along with “The Wheels on the Bus” on the Kids YouTube channel. Keep reading to learn the story of the song. Then download and print the lyrics.

Click the image to download a printable PDF of The Wheels on the Bus” lyrics and puppets!

“The Wheels on the Bus” Lyrics

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.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
All through the town.

The driver on the bus goes, “Move on back,
Move on back, move on back.”
The driver on the bus goes, “Move on back,”
All through the town.

The people on the bus go up and down,
Up and down, up and down.
The people on the bus go up and down,
All through the town.

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
All through the town.

The baby on the bus goes, “Wah, wah, wah,
Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.”
The baby on the bus goes, “Wah, wah, wah,”
All through the town.

The mommies on the bus go, “Shh, shh, shh,
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.”
The daddies on the bus go, “Shh, shh, shh,”
All through the town.

Sing along with the children on the bus in this fun illustrated video!

Story of the Song

Verna Hills (1898–1990) of Boston, Massachusetts is attributed to contributing the three-stanza poem “The Bus” to the December 1937 issue of American Childhood. In this version, the wheels went round, the horn went toot, and the people went up and down. The poem gained popularity when the tune “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” was added as well as additional stanzas and actions.

Black and White Photograph of 1926 School Bus

IMLS Digital Collections & Content, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Verna saw many changes in the world in her more than 90 years! Transportation, how people moved from place to place, was one of them. When Verna was born at the turn of the twentieth century, buses were pulled by horses in big cities. Children did not ride in gasoline-powered school buses until the 1920s. Before that, children walked or rode in horse-drawn wagons or carriages, or trolleys if available.

Do the Actions

Each stanza highlights a different part of the bus and the action or sound it makes. Have fun singing and acting out the motions with the song!

Wheels on the Bus Illustration

Children today enjoy singing “The Wheels on the Bus” whether they are on a bus, in a car, or on the playground. Download the lyrics and free puppets and sing along!

Click the image to download a printable PDF of The Wheels on the Bus” lyrics and puppets!

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Comments

  • Kristie Bennett

    My preschoolers have all loved singing this one. The history is neat to know.

  • Caroline

    Love the story and the song!

  • Lindsey

    I love the back story to things. Thanks for the history lesson and printable!

  • Sarah

    Love having the backstory to this song (and from a trusted source)!

  • Marisol Perry

    I can’t wait to share this with my kiddos!