I Had A Little Hen — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,
She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean;
She went to the mill to fetch me some flour,
She brought it home in less than an hour;
She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale,
She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.

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Learning from "I Had A Little Hen"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "I Had A Little Hen" 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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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to I Had A Little Hen?
The lyrics to I Had A Little Hen are: I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen, / She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean; / She went to the mill to fetch me some flour, / She brought it home in less than an hour; / She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale, / She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.
How many lines does I Had A Little Hen have?
"I Had A Little Hen" has 6 lines of verse.

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