NurseryRhymes.info
Do Your Ears Hang Low?
1900s 
USA Lyrics
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you swing them over your shoulder like a regimental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
Do your ears hang high?
Do they point up in the sky?
Do they hang down when they’re wet?
Do they stick up when they’re dry?
Can you semaphore your neighbour with a minimum of labour?
Do your ears hang high?
History and Meaning
The seemingly innocent children's song "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" has a surprisingly murky history. The tune is far older and more travelled than the current lyrics, with the latest lyrics from the 20th Century. It uses the melody of the American folk tune "Turkey in the Straw," which itself likely evolved from earlier British and Irish fiddle tunes such as "The Old Rose Tree." While the melody achieved widespread popularity in 19th-century America, it was frequently used in minstrel shows, often paired with racist lyrics.
A more recent version with more crude lyrics (Do Your Balls Hang Low?) was sung by soldiers from around 1900, and more widely by British soldiers during World War 1. It began:
Do your balls hang low? Do they dangle to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow?
The version that is more widely sung today was made popular within the Scouting movement and becoming a campfire staple: a common fate for catchy, adaptable folk tunes.