The Grand Old Duke Of York

1. (shouting) TEN THOUSAND! I have TEN THOUSAND people!
2. That is a very big number. Bigger than we can count today.
3. So let's count something we can — the steps up the hill.
4. The grand old Duke of York had a hill and a plan,
5. Ten thousand marchers and a drum and a man.
6. One step, two step, up they go,
7. Three step, four step, high and slow!
8. Up to the top and down to the bottom!
9. Up! Up! Up! And down! Down! Down!
10. Halfway up is halfway down,
11. The grandest little hill in the whole wide town!
12. Five step, six step, boots in the heather,
13. Seven step, eight step, all of them together,
14. Nine step, ten step — the summit's in sight!
15. Ten steps up and the view is bright!
16. Up to the top and down to the bottom!
17. Ten going up and ten coming down!
18. Halfway up is halfway down,
19. The grandest little hill in the whole wide town!
20. Point up. Now point down.
21. Now point halfway. Halfway between up and down.
22. That's the tricky one!
23. It is. Halfway means the middle. Not the top. Not the bottom.
24. Ten steps up the hill. Halfway is…
25. Five. Half of ten is five. You just did halving, and that is real mathematics.
26. Ten step, nine step, boots going back,
27. Eight step, seven step, down the muddy track,
28. Six, five, four, and the numbers get small,
29. Three, two, one — and that's the lot of them all!
30. Up! CHOIR: (rising) Ahhh—
31. Down! CHOIR: (falling) —ohhh!
32. Halfway! CHOIR: (steady) Mmmm.
33. Up to the top and down to the bottom!
34. (quietly) From the top you can see everything.
35. The road you came up. The road you'll go down.
36. And this is the funny thing about hills —
37. going up is harder, and going down is faster. Same hill. Both true.
38. Everybody UP! Stand as tall as you can — you're at the TOP!
39. Now crouch right down — you're at the BOTTOM!
40. Up! Down! Up! Down! Count them — that's four!
41. Now go HALFWAY. Bend your knees a bit. Hold it. That's halfway!
42. Ten marching steps on the spot! Count them going up!
43. Ten more coming down! Count them backwards!
44. Ten steps up. You've done six. How many more to the top?
45. ADA: Four.
46. What is halfway between one and ten?
47. ADA: Five — or near enough that we'll say five and be happy.
48. You're on step three, going down. What's next?
49. ADA: Two. Down means the numbers get smaller.
50. Up to the top and DOWN to the bottom!
51. Up! Up! Up! And down! Down! DOWN!
52. Halfway up is halfway down,
53. Ten thousand marching through the whole wide town!
54. They're gone over the hill. I can't see them.
55. But you can still hear the drum. Count the beats until it's gone.
56. (counting under his breath) …four… three… two…
57. …and the last beat says littleactivity.com.

Tap any line to jump there. Timings are close, not exact.