Hieroglyphics
Horrible Histories Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you've passed
Your grade one pyramid selling
Yeah, the time has come
For me to drum
Some facts into you about spelling
Oh, it seems to me
Skills are less than terrific
So buck up, boys
As we mess up the joys
Of the lovely hieroglyphics!
Everyone needs their abc
It's as simple as... Vulture, foot, basket
You know how to sing doh-ray-me
Easy to spell, it's... Hand, eye-thingy, owl
Abc
Vulture, foot, basket
Doh-ray-mee
Hand, eye-thingy, owl
You'll pass with ease
And find it's a breeze
The rules are scientific
Don't have to be smart
All you do is start
With simple phonetic glyphics
Next you get two letters, a set
More things called logographic
Finally third, the form of a word
Determinitives... Horrific!
Everyone needs their... Flamingo, house, sun
It's simple, but 'sun' can mean duck, everyone
You all know how to write your name
Except for me - Tutanephututakhamen
Flamingo, house, sun
Means duck to some
Tutanephututakhamen
Let's leave that one!
If you find it hard, don't be afraid
To go and ask your mummy for aid
Now it's time for a spelling bee
That's not how you spell bee, see me!
Foot, reed, reed, easy!
Cat, pig, dog, rat, dog, frog
Make your spelling magnific
You can go up and down
Left and right and around
No punctuation in hieroglyphics
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Just seven hundred characters or so
Now that's done
Let's have some fun
With numbers, here we go!
Everyone needs their 1, 2, 3
It's as simple as... Eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye
You can all count to ninety-nine
Easy to write it's... Hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop
Eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye
1, 2, 3
Eye, eye, eye, eye, eye eye
Ninety-nine
Hoop hoop hoop hoop, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye...
Basket?
The song "Hieroglyphics" by Horrible Histories is a fun and educational tune that teaches children about the ancient Egyptian writing system, hieroglyphics. It begins with the teacher addressing the class, congratulating them on passing their grade one pyramid selling and reminding them of the importance of spelling, particularly in hieroglyphics. He then proceeds to explain the basics of the writing system, starting with the ABCs, which are represented by simple pictograms, such as a vulture, a foot, and a basket. The teacher demonstrates how easy it is to spell using these pictograms and goes on to explain more complicated writing system features, such as logographic and determinative glyphs.
The chorus of the song repeats the ABCs and other hieroglyphic pictograms, encouraging children to embrace the simplicity of the writing process. The song even includes a play on words with a spelling bee - reminding children that "bee" is not spelled "be," in hieroglyphics or otherwise. The song touches on the fact that hieroglyphics don't have punctuation and highlights the importance of asking for help if needed.
Overall, the song is an engaging and humorous way to teach children about the hieroglyphic writing system of ancient Egypt. It encourages children to be curious about the past and to develop an appreciation for history and culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Settle down, class
Let's begin the lesson.
Now you've passed
You've graduated to a new level.
Your grade one pyramid selling
Your introduction to ancient Egyptian culture is complete.
Yeah, the time has come
It's time to start learning about hieroglyphics.
For me to drum
It's my job to teach you.
Some facts into you about spelling
Details about spelling in hieroglyphics will be provided.
Oh, it seems to me
To my mind,
Your abc
Your knowledge of the alphabet.
Skills are less than terrific
It needs improvement.
So buck up, boys
Cheer up and try harder, guys.
As we mess up the joys
As we explore the challenges.
Of the lovely hieroglyphics!
Of the mysterious Egyptian writing system.
Everyone needs their abc
Every person needs to learn the alphabet.
It's as simple as... Vulture, foot, basket
The first three letters are: 'a' (vulture), 'b' (foot), and 'c' (basket).
You know how to sing doh-ray-me
You already know the popular melody, 'Do Re Mi'.
Easy to spell, it's... Hand, eye-thingy, owl
The spelling of your name is simple: 'Lisa' is spelled using the hand, the eye, and the owl glyphs.
You'll pass with ease
You will do well in your exams.
And find it's a breeze
You will find it simple.
The rules are scientific
The system of writing has a logical structure.
Don't have to be smart
It doesn't require superior intelligence.
All you do is start
Begin with the basics.
With simple phonetic glyphics
Then move on to more complicated symbols that represent sounds.
Next you get two letters, a set
The next step involves using two glyphs to represent a word.
More things called logographic
You will also learn how to use logograms, which represent concepts or ideas.
Finally third, the form of a word
The third step involves using a determinative to indicate the meaning of a word.
Determinitives... Horrific!
The determinative symbols, which help specify the category of a word, are complex and may seem scary.
Everyone needs their... Flamingo, house, sun
Everyone needs to learn the hieroglyphic numbers: '1' (flamingo), '10' (house), and '100' (sun).
It's simple, but 'sun' can mean duck, everyone
Although the system is simple, one glyph can have different meanings depending on context.
You all know how to write your name
You can use hieroglyphics to write your name.
Except for me - Tutanephututakhamen
The name Tutanephututakhamen is difficult to spell in hieroglyphics.
If you find it hard, don't be afraid
If you encounter difficulties, don't hesitate to seek help.
To go and ask your mummy for aid
Ask your mother for assistance.
Now it's time for a spelling bee
It's time for a contest to see who can spell the most words correctly.
That's not how you spell bee, see me!
The word 'bee' is spelled using the glyphs for foot, reed and reed.
Foot, reed, reed, easy!
The glyphs for foot, reed, and reed are easy to use.
Cat, pig, dog, rat, dog, frog
These words can be spelled in hieroglyphics.
Make your spelling magnific
Make sure that your spelling is beautiful and correct.
You can go up and down
You can orient your writing in any orientation.
Left and right and around
You can also write in reverse or in circles.
No punctuation in hieroglyphics
There is no usage of punctuation in hieroglyphics.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
These are the first seven glyphs of the Egyptian alphabet.
Just seven hundred characters or so
There are less than a thousand hieroglyphic characters.
Now that's done
We've finished learning about hieroglyphics.
Let's have some fun
Let's celebrate with some entertainment.
With numbers, here we go!
Let's now learn about hieroglyphic numbers.
Everyone needs their 1, 2, 3
Everybody needs to learn the numbers.
It's as simple as... Eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye
The first six numbers are: 1 (eye), 2 (two eyes), 3 (three eyes), 4 (four eyes), 5 (five eyes), and 6 (six eyes).
You can all count to ninety-nine
You can count up to the number 99.
Easy to write it's... Hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop, hoop
The number 9 is represented by nine hoop glyphs in a row.
Eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye
These are the first nine hieroglyphic numbers.
Basket?
A humorous way to end the song, suggesting that the entire lesson might have been pointless.
Contributed by Arianna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.