A Big Fat Potato — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A big, fat potato lay down on a clod
In the shade of some burdock and tall goldenrod,
And he dreamed he were king of the whole garden plot,
With a palace and throne, and a crown with a lot
Of jewels and diamonds and gold till it shone
Like the front of a show when the lights are turned on.
He had to be minded by all of the plants;
When he whistled the radishes knew they must dance;
When he tooted his horn the cucumbers must sing
To a vegetable crowd gathered round in a ring.
He made all the cabbages stand in a row
While a sunflower instructed them just how to grow;
The bright yellow pumpkins he painted light blue;
Took the clothes off the scare-crow and made him buy new.
He strutted and sputtered and thought it was grand
To be king and commander o'er all the wide land.
But at last he woke up with an awful surprise
And found a blind mole kicking sand in his eyes.

Explore Words From This Rhyme

Find Rhymes

Look Up Definitions

More Nursery Rhymes

Browse all nursery rhymes →

Learning from "A Big Fat Potato"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "A Big Fat Potato" uses 18 lines to create a memorable verse — proof that effective poetry doesn't need to be long. Pay attention to the meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is what makes the rhyme stick in your head.

Songwriters and poets can borrow these patterns. Try writing your own lyrics using the same rhyme scheme and line length as this nursery rhyme. You can also use words from the poem above as starting points — click any word to find rhymes or look up its definition, then build from there.

Create your own verse

Inspired by "A Big Fat Potato"? Try writing your own rhymes:

Generate a verse

Frequently asked questions

What are the words to A Big Fat Potato?
The lyrics to A Big Fat Potato are: A big, fat potato lay down on a clod / In the shade of some burdock and tall goldenrod, / And he dreamed he were king of the whole garden plot, / With a palace and throne, and a crown with a lot / Of jewels and diamonds and gold till it shone / Like the front of a show when the lights are turned on. ... Read the full 18-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does A Big Fat Potato have?
"A Big Fat Potato" has 18 lines of verse.

Explore More Word Tools