English rhymes form a treasured layer of the language’s classical heritage. These simple yet profound verses carry the rhythm, cadence, and imaginative power that have shaped English expression for generations.
At their heart lies the remarkable
planar
quality of English — its directness, clarity, and ability to convey meaning with graceful economy. What appears effortless on the surface rests upon centuries of refinement, where words align with natural stress and musicality, making the language both accessible and deeply resonant.
Many of these rhymes echo the era when English attained a near-global presence — a time marked by poise, administrative clarity, and a quiet confidence in governance and culture. Their enduring appeal lies in this very grace: they invite the learner to internalise not only vocabulary and pronunciation, but also the underlying elegance and flow that have long distinguished English.
Through repeated listening and reading, these rhymes offer a gentle yet powerful path toward greater fluency, richer vocabulary, and a more natural command of the language.
1. Aeroplane aeroplane
Aeroplane aeroplane,
Up in the sky!
Please take me with you,
Wherever you fly!
Over the clouds,
Oh so high!
Let’s meet the rainbow
In the sky.
2. Lucy Locket lost her pocket
Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Kitty Fisher found it!
Not a penny was there in it,
Only ribbon round it!
3. Its raining, its pouring
Its raining, its pouring,
The old man is snoring!
He went to bed and bumped his head,
And couldn't get up in the morning!
4. Row, row, row your boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream!
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream!
5. Polly put the kettle on
Polly put the kettle on,
Kettle on, kettle on!
Polly put the kettle on,
Let's all have tea!
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6. Thirty days hath September
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
February alone has twenty-eight days,
All the rest have thirty-one.
Leap year coming once in four,
February then has one day more.
7. Orange is a lemon
Orange is a lemon,
Sold for a penny,
All the school girls are so many.
The grass is green,
And the rose is red.
Remember me
When I am dead, dead, dead.
8. Baa, baa, black sheep
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!
One for my master,
And one for my dame.
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
9. I hear thunder
I hear thunder!
I hear thunder!
Oh! do you? Oh! do you?
Pitter-patter raindrops,
Pitter-patter raindrops,
I'm wet too!
I'm wet too!
10. Dashing through the snow
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh.
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bobtails ring
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight, oh!
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
11. Here we go 'round the mulberry bush
Here we go 'round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go 'round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth.
This is the way we brush our teeth
On a cold and frosty morning.
12. One, two, buckle my shoe
One, two, buckle my shoe,
Three, four, open the door,
Five, six, pick up the sticks,
Seven, eight, lay them straight,
Nine, ten, a big fat hen.
13. Early in the morning
Early in the morning,
Down the station,
See the engine drivers,
All in a row.
Look at Jimmy driver,
Driving his engine
Up, up, chuff chuff,
Off we go!
14. Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy,
Born on Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday;
This is the end of
Soloman Grundy.
15. Yankee Doodle went to town
Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy.
Father and I went down to camp
Along with Captain Gooding
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty pudding.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy.
There was Captain Washington
Upon a slapping stallion
A-giving orders to his men
I guess there was a million.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy.
Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony;
Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni.
16. Sing a song of sixpence
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;
Now wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the King?
The King was in his counting house
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the parlour
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes;
When down came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.
17. Mary had a little lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb;
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow.
Now, everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went;
Now everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
School one day, school one day;
It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and shout,
Laugh and shout, laugh and shout;
It made the children laugh and shout,
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
Turned it out. turned it out;
And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near.
And waited patiently about,
Patiently about, patiently about;
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
Love Mary so? love Mary so?
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
Loves her so, loves her so;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.
18. Polly put the kettle on
Polly put the kettle on Kettle on, kettle on.
Polly put the kettle on Lets all have tea.
19. One, two, three, four, five
One, two, three, four, five, Once l caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Then l let it go again.
“Why did you let it go?” “Because it bit my finger so.”
“Which finger did it bite?” This little finger on my right.
20. Pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold
Pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold, Pease pudding in the pot, nine days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold. Some like it in the pot nine days old.
21. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he hollers, let him go, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
22. Old King Cole was a merry old soul
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; Oh, there's none so rare, as can compare With King Cole and his fiddlers three.
23. Twinkle, twinkle, little star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!
When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!
Then the traveller in the dark Thanks you for your tiny spark; He wouldn’t see which way to go, If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!
24. A tisket, a tasket
A tisket, a tasket A green and yellow basket, I wrote a letter to my love, And on the way, l dropped it.
I dropped it, l dropped it, My green and yellow basket. Someone must have picked it up And put it in their pocket.
25. Star light, star bright
Star light, star bright, The first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight.
26. A wise old owl lived in an oak
A wise old owl lived in an oak The more he saw the less he spoke.
The less he spoke the more he heard. Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?
27. As I was going to St. Ives
As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives.
Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats.
Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives.
How many were there going to St. Ives?
28. Cock a doodle do
Cock a doodle do! My dame has lost her shoe, My master's lost his fiddlestick, And knows not what to do.
29. Are you sleeping?
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Brother John, Brother John, Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing! Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong.
30. 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.
