Two Little Boys
Rolf Harris Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two little boys had two little toys
Each had a wooden horse
Gaily they played each summer's day
Warriors both of course
One little chap then had a mishap
Broke off his horse's head
Wept for his toy then cried with joy
As his young playmate said

Did you think I would leave you crying
When there's room on my horse for two
Climb up here Jack and don't be crying
I can go just as fast with two
When we grow up we'll both be soldiers
And our horses will not be toys
And I wonder if we'll remember
When we were two little boys

Long years had passed, war came so fast
Bravely they marched away
Cannon roared loud, and in the mad crowd
Wounded and dying lay
Up goes a shout, a horse dashes out
Out from the ranks so blue
Gallops away to where Joe lay
Then came a voice he knew

Did you think I would leave you dying
When there's room on my horse for two
Climb up here Joe, we'll soon be flying
I can go just as fast with two
Did you say Joe I'm all a-tremble
Perhaps it's the battle's noise
But I think it's that I remember
When we were two little boys

Do you think I would leave you dying
There's room on my horse for two
Climb up here Joe, we'll soon by flying
Back to the ranks so blue
Can you feel Joe I'm all a tremble
Perhaps it's the battle's noise




But I think it's that I remember
When we were two little boys

Overall Meaning

The song 'Two Little Boys' by Rolf Harris recounts the story of two young lads who are the closest of friends. They have two cherished wooden toys – horses, with which they play and have fun together during the summer days. One unfortunate day, one of the boys accidentally breaks his horse's head, and he is understandably upset. But then, to his surprise, his friend offers to share his toy horse, and he climbs onto it with him. The song's lyrics describe how they promise each other to grow up as soldiers.


Years later, when a war breaks out, both boys are now men, and they are sent off to fight. Amidst the chaos, one of these men gets injured and is lying wounded on the battlefield. However, his friend comes galloping with a horse and carriage, coming to his rescue. The injured soldier tries to reassure him that he is not dying, but the other man insists that there is room for two and that they should ride together back to their troops. Their lifelong bond and the promise they made to each other as young boys turn out to be a driving force that motivates them to stick together, even in the face of death.


'Two Little Boys' is not just a song. It is a beautiful tribute to the lasting friendship that binds two people together, even in adversity. The song's lyrics affirm that true friends stay loyal to each other and will always be ready to help in times of need.


Line by Line Meaning

Two little boys had two little toys
Two children had two small playthings.


Each had a wooden horse
Each of the boys owned a toy horse made of wood.


Gaily they played each summer's day
They happily played together during the warm season.


Warriors both of course
They pretended to be warriors.


One little chap then had a mishap
One of the boys had an accident.


Broke off his horse's head
The wooden horse's head broke off.


Wept for his toy then cried with joy
He initially cried over the loss of his toy, but then was happy again.


As his young playmate said
His friend spoke up.


Did you think I would leave you crying
Did you believe I would abandon you when you are upset.


When there's room on my horse for two
There is enough space for both of us on my toy horse.


Climb up here Jack and don't be crying
Get on the toy horse with me, Jack, and don't cry anymore.


I can go just as fast with two
The toy horse can still move quickly even with two people on it.


When we grow up we'll both be soldiers
When we become adults, we will both serve in the military.


And our horses will not be toys
Our horses will not be made of wood anymore.


And I wonder if we'll remember
I am curious if we will recall.


Long years has passed, war came so fast
Many years had gone by, then war occurred suddenly.


Bravely they marched away
They went off to war courageously.


Cannon roared loud, and in the mad crowd
The loud sound of cannons and chaos surrounded them.


Wounded and dying lay
There were injured and dying people lying on the ground.


Up goes a shout, a horse dashes out
Suddenly, shouting is heard and a horse gallops forward.


Out from the ranks so blue
It emerged from a group of soldiers wearing blue uniforms.


Gallops away to where Joe lay
It ran to where Joe was lying.


Then came a voice he knew
He heard a familiar voice.


Did you think I would leave you dying
Did you believe I would abandon you when you are dying.


Did you say Joe I'm all a-tremble
Did you say that you are trembling, Joe?


Perhaps it's the battle's noise
Maybe it's because of the sounds of the war.


But I think it's that I remember
But I believe it's because I recall something.


There's room on my horse for two
There is enough space for both of us on the horse.


Climb up here Joe, we'll soon by flying
Get on the horse with me, Joe, we will soon be moving like we're flying.


Back to the ranks so blue
We will go back to the group of soldiers in blue uniforms.


Can you feel Joe I'm all a tremble
Do you feel that I am trembling, Joe?


But I think it's that I remember
But I believe it's because I recall something.


When we were two little boys
When we were just children playing together.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN BRADEN, EDWARD MADDEN, THEODORE MORSE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@moonjoyce6215

Two Little Boys
Rolf Harris
Two little boys had two little toys 
Each had a wooden horse 
Gaily they played each summer's day 
Warriors both of course 
One little chap then had a mishap 
Broke off his horse's head 
Wept for his toy then cried with joy 
As his young playmate said 
Did you think I would leave you crying 
When there's room on my horse for two 
Climb up here Jack and don't be crying 
I can go just as fast with two 
When we grow up we'll both be soldiers 
And our horses will not be toys 
And I wonder if we'll remember 
When we were two little boys 
Long years had passed, war came so fast 
Bravely they marched away 
Cannon roared loud, and in the mad crowd 
Wounded and dying lay 
Up goes a shout, a horse dashes out 
Out from the ranks so blue 
Gallops away to where Joe lay 
Then came a voice he knew 
Did you think I would leave you dying 
When there's room on my horse for two 
Climb up here Joe, we'll soon be flying 
I can go just as fast with two 
Did you say Joe I'm all a-tremble 
Perhaps it's the battle's noise 
But I think it's that I remember 
When we were two little boys
Do you think I would leave you dying 
There's room on my horse for two 
Climb up here Joe, we'll soon by flying 
Back to the ranks so blue 
Can you feel Joe I'm all a tremble 
Perhaps it's the battle's noise 
But I think it's that I remember 
When we were two little boys
Songwriters: Alan Braden / Edward Madden / Theodore Morse



All comments from YouTube:

@beefyboi7784

he touched so many hearts it's just a shame that that's not the only thing he touched

@Minime163

So much talent wasted on a sicko like that

@mattyboywalker9094

🙈🙈🙈😄😄😄😉

@75MalcolmX

Jimmys evil effected those around him, once they where hooked, Uncle Jimmy had all the control.

@AnneBoleynRome

Well said .

@phubans

Wtf? Is he a "nonce" as you lot put it?

42 More Replies...

@cantthinkofafunnyname8309

This was my grandads funeral song and today is the first time in 5 months that I’ve managed to listen to this without crying, still teary eyed but I’m so glad I have this song to remember the good stuff now instead of just crying and having panic attacks. If you’re reading this, just know Ian Cameron was the kindest man to walk this earth, and he has leave the biggest mark. He took in so many struggling children and teens who some would argue didn’t deserve a chance, but they always got one from him. He taught us all that family doesn’t mean blood. And thanks to him, everyone he knew was kinder and more patient. Kindness is contagious and he spread it like the plague. If you’ve read to here, thank you for taking the time to understand just a small bit of the man he was, and Remember to show kindness to others so they can pass it on.

I’m definitely crying now but at least I got through the song

@dazzaboof9157

Haven't heard this since I was a child. Never paid attention to the lyrics back then, but now, how moving.

@adrinathegreat3095

Was one of the biggest selling songs of 1969, spending a month at no.1, was regularly played on radio stations throughout the 1970s and most of the 80s

@janesgems7

Always reminds me of the old James Stewart film Shenadoah...when his youngest son meet his old friend on the battlefield...and they are on opposite sides.

More Comments

More Versions