A Man in the Wilderness — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A man in the wilderness
Asked this of me,
"How many strawberries
Grow in the sea?"
I answered him
As I thought good,
"As many red herrings
As swim in the wood."

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Learning from "A Man in the Wilderness"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "A Man in the Wilderness" uses 8 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 in the Wilderness?
The lyrics to A Man in the Wilderness are: A man in the wilderness / Asked this of me, / "How many strawberries / Grow in the sea?" / I answered him / As I thought good, ... Read the full 8-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does A Man in the Wilderness have?
"A Man in the Wilderness" has 8 lines of verse.

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