Told by a grown-up child to someone who looked after them, the poem is a gentle look back at childhood and a plea for things not to change. The speaker remembers being small, tumbling over on little legs, and being scooped up with the teasing, affectionate words "You silly goose, you." Now the speaker is older, can cross the road alone, and hears a different line: "Stop growing up, my friend."
The speaker feels fond and a little wistful. There's a hint of jealousy too, in the guess that the caregiver now has "another little goose" to watch over. The poem never says who "you" is, though the word "shepherd" suggests someone protective and guiding. The ending is the warmest part: growing up hasn't made the speaker any different underneath. The mood is tender, light in tone but quietly emotional, with simple rhymes and playful language that echo the childhood it recalls.