For Want Of A Nail — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics
For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
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Learning from "For Want Of A Nail"
Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "For Want Of A Nail" uses 6 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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Generate a verseFrequently asked questions
- What are the words to For Want Of A Nail?
- The lyrics to For Want Of A Nail are: For want of a nail the shoe was lost, / For want of a shoe the horse was lost, / For want of a horse the rider was lost, / For want of a rider the battle was lost, / For want of a battle the kingdom was lost, / And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
- How many lines does For Want Of A Nail have?
- "For Want Of A Nail" has 6 lines of verse.
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