Nursery Rhymes, Henry Altemus
Nursery Rhymes
Henry Altemus
Category: Children
Genres: Nursery rhymes,Poetry
Level 1.010:18 h10.1 mb
Nursery Rhymes are the traditional stories and songs that have been passed down through generations. Many nursery rhymes are so well known that anyone can recall them at any time. Do you remember all the little details, though? Read along in this collection to enjoy these classic poems and children's songs we may have forgotten somewhere along the way.

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes

There Was a Little Man

There was a little man, and he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead;
He went to the brook, and saw a little duck,
And shot it through the head, head, head.
He carried it home to his old wife Joan,
And bade her a fire to make, make, make;
To roast the little duck he had shot in the brook,
And he’d go and fetch the drake, drake, drake.

Little Bo-Peep

Nursery Rhymes

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can’t tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamed she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they’d left all their tails behind ‘em.

Girls and Boys

Nursery Rhymes

Girls and boys, come out and play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day;
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and I’ll find flour,
And we’ll make a pudding in half an hour.

The Man in the Moon

The man in the moon
Came tumbling down,
And asked his way to Norwich;
He went by the south,
And burnt his mouth,
With supping cold pease-porridge.

Oranges and Lemons

Nursery Rhymes

Gay go up and gay go down,
To ring the bells of London town.
Bull’s-eyes and targets,
Say the bells of St. Marg’ret’s.
Brickbats and tiles,
Say the bells of St. Giles’.
Halfpence and farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin’s.
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement’s.
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells of St. Peter’s.
Two sticks and an apple,
Say the bells of Whitechapel.
Old Father Baldpate,
Say the slow bells at Aldgate.
Poker and tongs,
Say the bells of St. John’s.
Kettles and pans,
Say the bells of St. Ann’s.
You owe me ten shillings!
Say the bells of St. Helen’s.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.
Pray, when will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I am sure I don’t know,
Says the great bell of Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

Nursery Rhymes

Little Tom Tucker

Nursery Rhymes

Little Tom Tucker sings for his supper;
What shall he eat? White bread and butter.
How shall he cut it without e’er a knife?
How will he be married without e’er a wife?

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a great spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened
Miss Muffet away.

My Lady Wind, My Lady Wind

My Lady Wind, my Lady Wind,
Went round about the house to find
A chink to get her foot in.
She tried the key-hole in the door,
She tried the crevice in the floor,
And drove the chimney soot in.
And then one night, when it was dark,
She blew up such a tiny spark
That all the house was bothered;
From it she raised up such a flame
As flamed away to Belting Lane,
And White Cross folks were smothered.
And thus when once my little dears,
A whisper reaches itching ears,
The same will come, you’ll find;
Take my advice, restrain the tongue,
Remember what old Nurse has sung
Of busy Lady Wind.

Nursery Rhymes

As I was Going Up Pippen Hill

Nursery Rhymes

As I was going up Pippen Hill, —
Pippen Hill was dirty, —
There I met a pretty Miss,
And she dropped me a curtesy.
Little Miss, pretty Miss,
Blessings light upon you!
If I had a half-a-crown a day,
I’d spend it all upon you.

A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go

Nursery Rhymes

A Frog he would a-wooing go,
Sing heigho, says Rowley,
Whether his mother would let him or no,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
So off he marched with his opera-hat,
Heigho, says Rowley;
And on the way he met with a rat,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
And when they came to Mouse’s Hall
Heigho, says Rowley,
They gave a loud knock and they gave a loud call,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
“Pray, Mrs. Mouse, are you within?”
Heigho, says Rowley;
“Yes, kind sir, I am sitting to spin,”
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
“Pray, Mrs. Mouse, will you give us some beer?”
Heigho, says Rowley;
“For Froggy and I are fond of good cheer,”
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
Now while they all were a-merrymaking,
Heigho, says Rowley,
The cat and her kittens came tumbling in,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
The cat she seized the rat by the crown,
Heigho, says Rowley;
The kittens they pulled the little mouse down,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
This put poor Frog in a terrible fright,
Heigho, says Rowley;
So he took up his hat and wished them good-night,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
But as Froggy was crossing over a brook,
Heigho, says Rowley,
A lily-white duck came and gobbled him up.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.
So there was an end of one, two, and three,
Heigho, says Rowley;
The rat, the mouse, and the little Frog-ee!
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley.

Nursery Rhymes

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the King’s horses and
all the King’s men
Cannot put Humpty
together again.

Hot-Cross Buns

Nursery Rhymes

Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
If ye have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.

Monday’s Child

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for its living;
And a child that is born on Christmas Day
Is fair, and wise, and good, and gay.

Nursery Rhymes

A Dillar, a Dollar

A dillar, a dollar,
A ten-o’clock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o’clock,
And now you come at noon.

Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son

Nursery Rhymes

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
He learned to play when he was young;
But the only tune that he could play
Was “Over the hills and far away.”
Over the hills, and a great way off,
And the wind will blow my top-knot off.

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Nursery Rhymes

Mary had a little lamb,
It’s fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day,
That was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
Then he ran to her and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said, “I’m not afraid —
You’ll keep me from all harm.”
“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry.
“Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.
And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind
And make them follow at your will,
If you are only kind.

Nursery Rhymes

Little Cock Robin

Little Cock Robin peeped out of his cabin,
To see the cold winter come in.
Tit for tat, what matter for that? —
He’ll hide his head under his wing!

Nursery Rhymes

Old King Cole

Old King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Twee-tweedle-dee, tweedle-dee, went the fiddlers.
Oh, there’s none so rare
As can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three!

Nursery Rhymes

Pussy-Cat, Pussy-Cat

“Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat, where have you been?”
“I’ve been up to London to look at the Queen.”
“Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat, what did you there?”
“I frightened a little mouse under the chair.”

Nursery Rhymes

London Bridge

London Bridge is broken down,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
London Bridge is broken down
With a gay lady.
How shall we build it up again?
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
How shall we build it up again?
With a gay lady.
Silver and gold will be stole away,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
Silver and gold will be stole away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up again with iron and steel,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
Build it up again with iron and steel,
With a gay lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with wood and clay,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
Build it up with wood and clay,
With a gay lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
Wood and clay will wash away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with stone so strong,
Dance o’er my lady Lee;
Huzza! ‘twill last for ages long,
With a gay lady.

Nursery Rhymes

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Nursery Rhymes

There Was an Old Woman

Nursery Rhymes

There was an old woman who rode on a broom,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
And she took her old cat behind for a groom,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.
They traveled along till they came to the sky,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
But the journey so long made them very hungry,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.
Says Tom, “I can find nothing here to eat,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
So let us go back again, I entreat,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.”
The old woman would not go back so soon,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
For she wanted to visit the Man in the Moon,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.
Says Tom, “I’ll go back myself to our house,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
For there I can catch a good rat or a mouse,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.”
“But,” says the old woman, “how will you go?
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
You shan’t have my nag, I protest and vow,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.”
“No, no,” says Tom, “I’ve a plan of my own,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;”
So he slid down the rainbow and left her alone,
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.
So now, if you happen to visit the sky,
With a high gee ho, gee humble;
And want to come back, you Tom’s method may try.
With a bimble, bamble, bumble.

Nursery Rhymes

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Nursery Rhymes

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing,
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the King?
The King was in the parlor,
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the kitchen,
Eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
There came a little blackbird,
And snipped off her nose.

Nursery Rhymes

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Rub-a-dub-dub.
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they can be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker;
Turn ‘em out, knaves all three!

The Queen of Hearts

Nursery Rhymes

The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
And with them ran away.
The King of Hearts
Called for those tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back those tarts,
And said he’d ne’er steal more.

Old Mistress McShuttle