A Melancholy Song — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Trip upon trenchers,
And dance upon dishes,
My mother sent me for some barm, some barm;
She bid me go lightly,
And come again quickly,
For fear the young men should do me some harm.
Yet didn't you see, yet didn't you see,
What naughty tricks they put upon me?
They broke my pitcher
And spilt the water,
And huffed my mother,
And chid her daughter,
And kissed my sister instead of me.

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Learning from "A Melancholy Song"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "A Melancholy Song" uses 13 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 Melancholy Song?
The lyrics to A Melancholy Song are: Trip upon trenchers, / And dance upon dishes, / My mother sent me for some barm, some barm; / She bid me go lightly, / And come again quickly, / For fear the young men should do me some harm. ... Read the full 13-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does A Melancholy Song have?
"A Melancholy Song" has 13 lines of verse.

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