Michael Row Your Boat Ashore — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Michael, row the boat ashore,
Hallelujah.
Michael, row the boat ashore,
Hallelujah.
Sister, help to trim the sails,
Hallelujah.
Sister, help to trim the sails,
Hallelujah.
River Jordan's deep and wide,
Hallelujah.
Milk and honey on the other side,
Hallelujah.
River Jordan's chilly and cold,
Hallelujah.
Chills the body, but warms the soul,
Hallelujah.

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Learning from "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" uses 16 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 Michael Row Your Boat Ashore?
The lyrics to Michael Row Your Boat Ashore are: Michael, row the boat ashore, / Hallelujah. / Michael, row the boat ashore, / Hallelujah. / Sister, help to trim the sails, / Hallelujah. ... Read the full 16-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Michael Row Your Boat Ashore have?
"Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" has 16 lines of verse.

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