Bonny Lass — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Bonny lass, pretty lass, wilt thou be mine?
Thou shall not wash dishes,
Nor yet serve the swine;
Thou shalt sit on a cushion, and sew a fine seam,
And thou shalt eat strawberries, sugar, and cream!

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Learning from "Bonny Lass"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Bonny Lass" uses 5 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 Bonny Lass?
The lyrics to Bonny Lass are: Bonny lass, pretty lass, wilt thou be mine? / Thou shall not wash dishes, / Nor yet serve the swine; / Thou shalt sit on a cushion, and sew a fine seam, / And thou shalt eat strawberries, sugar, and cream!
How many lines does Bonny Lass have?
"Bonny Lass" has 5 lines of verse.

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