I Saw a Ship A Sailing — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea.
And, oh, but it was laden
With pretty things for thee.
There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold;
The sails were made of silk
And the masts were all of gold.
The four-and-twenty sailors
That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice
With chains about their necks.
The captain was a duck
With a packet on his back,
The captain said, "Quack! Quack!"

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Learning from "I Saw a Ship A Sailing"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "I Saw a Ship A Sailing" uses 15 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 Saw a Ship A Sailing?
The lyrics to I Saw a Ship A Sailing are: I saw a ship a-sailing, / A-sailing on the sea. / And, oh, but it was laden / With pretty things for thee. / There were comfits in the cabin, / And apples in the hold; ... Read the full 15-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does I Saw a Ship A Sailing have?
"I Saw a Ship A Sailing" has 15 lines of verse.

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