Bessy Bell And Mary Gray — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,
They were two bonny lasses;
They built their house upon the lea,
And covered it with rushes.
Bessy kept the garden gate,
And Mary kept the pantry;
Bessy always had to wait,
While Mary lived in plenty.

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Learning from "Bessy Bell And Mary Gray"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Bessy Bell And Mary Gray" 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 Bessy Bell And Mary Gray?
The lyrics to Bessy Bell And Mary Gray are: Bessy Bell and Mary Gray, / They were two bonny lasses; / They built their house upon the lea, / And covered it with rushes. / Bessy kept the garden gate, / And Mary kept the pantry; ... Read the full 8-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Bessy Bell And Mary Gray have?
"Bessy Bell And Mary Gray" has 8 lines of verse.

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