Old Father Annum — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Old Father Annum on New Year's Day
Picked up his bag of months and years,
Thrust in his hand in a careless way,
And pulled a wee fellow out by the ears.
"There you are,?? said he to the waiting crowd,
"He's as good as any I have in my pack.
I never can tell, but I hope to be proud
Of the little rascal when I come back.??

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Learning from "Old Father Annum"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Old Father Annum" uses 8 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 Old Father Annum?
The lyrics to Old Father Annum are: Old Father Annum on New Year's Day / Picked up his bag of months and years, / Thrust in his hand in a careless way, / And pulled a wee fellow out by the ears. / "There you are,?? said he to the waiting crowd, / "He's as good as any I have in my pack. ... Read the full 8-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Old Father Annum have?
"Old Father Annum" has 8 lines of verse.

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