A Man And A Maid — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was a little man,
Who wooed a little maid,
And he said, "Little maid, will you wed, wed, wed?
I have little more to say,
So will you, yea or nay,
For least said is soonest mended-ded, ded, ded."
The little maid replied,
"Should I be your little bride,
Pray what must we have for to eat, eat, eat?
Will the flame that you're so rich in
Light a fire in the kitchen?
Or the little god of love turn the spit, spit, spit?"

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Learning from "A Man And A Maid"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "A Man And A Maid" uses 12 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.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to A Man And A Maid?
The lyrics to A Man And A Maid are: There was a little man, / Who wooed a little maid, / And he said, "Little maid, will you wed, wed, wed? / I have little more to say, / So will you, yea or nay, / For least said is soonest mended-ded, ded, ded." ... Read the full 12-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does A Man And A Maid have?
"A Man And A Maid" has 12 lines of verse.

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