Hey Diddle Diddle — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
History:
1. Classified as a nonsense rhyme, these verses were put together purely
to rhyme with each other.
2. In astonomy all (nearly all) the characters in the rhyme are visible in the night sky in the month of April (planting season). This was a rhyme to remind early Europeans (primarily those in England) it was time to plant the crops.
CAT - Leo
FIDDLE - Lyra
COW - Taurus
MOON - literally the MOON
LITTLE DOG - Canis Minor
THE DISH - Constellation Crater
THE SPOON - The Big Dipper (Ursa Major)
Click for larger view
Here is the sky map calculated for London, UK on April 4 at 10:00 PM.
Note:
THE CAT (LEO) in the upper center, THE FIDDLE (LYRA) near the edge at about 5 O'Clock
THE COW ( TAURUS) at about 8 O'Clock on the edge
LITTLE DOG (CANIS MINOR )at about 10 O'Clock
THE DISH (CRATER) near the edge near 12 O'Clock
THE SPOON / (THE BIG DIPPER [URSA MAJOR] ) just below and to the right of dead center.
* Information supplied by Tom Caulley

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Learning from "Hey Diddle Diddle"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Hey Diddle Diddle" uses 26 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.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to Hey Diddle Diddle?
The lyrics to Hey Diddle Diddle are: Hey, diddle, diddle, / The cat and the fiddle, / The cow jumped over the moon. / The little dog laughed / To see such sport, / And the dish ran away with the spoon. ... Read the full 26-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Hey Diddle Diddle have?
"Hey Diddle Diddle" has 26 lines of verse.

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