Sophie Barker is a singer best known for her work with the British downtemp… Read Full Bio ↴Sophie Barker is a singer best known for her work with the British downtempo group Zero 7. She is the co-writer of the band's biggest hit, "Destiny", and sings the song alongside fellow vocalist Sia. Barker also co-wrote and sang Zero 7 songs such as "In the Waiting Line" and "Spinning" on the Zero 7 album Simple Things, which has sold more than one million copies worldwide. Barker also contributed to the follow-up Zero 7 album, When It Falls, co-writing the songs "Passing By" and "In Time."

Barker released a solo album, Earthbound, in 2006, along with Lullaby, an album of soothing night-time songs for children.

Baa baa Black Sheep
Sophie Barker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full

One for the master
And one for the dame
And one for the little boy

Who lives down the lane

Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full

One for the master
And one for the dame
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane

Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full

One for the master
And one for the dame
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane

Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full

One for the master
And one for the dame

And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Baa Baa Black Sheep" are simple and repetitive, with each verse asking the titular black sheep if it has any wool, to which it responds in the affirmative with "three bags full." Those three bags are then said to be intended for three different recipients: the master, the dame, and a little boy who lives down the lane.

On the surface, the song seems to be a harmless nursery rhyme about a sheep and its wool, but upon closer examination, it's possible to glean some deeper meanings. The references to the master and the dame suggest a feudal or cottage industry-era setting, where wool production would have been an important source of income for landowners. Similarly, the mention of a little boy who lives down the lane could be interpreted as a reference to child labor, with the boy being a worker responsible for collecting wool.

Additionally, the use of the color black to describe the sheep is unusual, as most sheep in England would traditionally have been white, suggesting that the black sheep could be an outsider or outcast from the flock. Overall, while "Baa Baa Black Sheep" may seem like a simple children's song, there are potentially darker undercurrents to the lyrics that hint at historical and social context.

Line by Line Meaning

Baa, baa, black sheep
Black sheep, can you make a sound similar to 'baa'?

Have you any wool
Do you have any of your wool left?

Yes sir, yes sir
Yes, sir, I have wool.

Three bags full
Actually, I have a lot of wool - enough to fill three bags completely!

One for the master
One bag of wool is for the master of the house.

And one for the dame
Another bag of my wool is for the mistress of the house.

And one for the little boy
The final bag of wool I have is for the young boy who lives nearby.

Who lives down the lane
This boy lives further down the street or path.

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Traditional

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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