Old Mother Hubbard — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To fetch her poor dog a bone;
But when she came there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
She took a clean dish
To get him some tripe;
But when she came back
He was smoking a pipe.
She went to the grocer's
To buy him some fruit;
But when she came back
He was playing the flute.
She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread;
But when she came back
The poor dog was dead.
She went to the undertaker's
To buy him a coffin;
But when she came back
The poor dog was laughing.
She went to the hatter's
To buy him a hat;
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.
The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant."
The dog said, "Bow wow!"
History:
The first stanza of this verse was written in 1804 by Sarah Martin and is on display at Oxford University. She based her poem on the 1803 "Old Dame Trot, and Her Comical Cat" poem.

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Learning from "Old Mother Hubbard"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Old Mother Hubbard" uses 32 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 Mother Hubbard?
The lyrics to Old Mother Hubbard are: Old Mother Hubbard / Went to the cupboard / To fetch her poor dog a bone; / But when she came there / The cupboard was bare, / And so the poor dog had none. ... Read the full 32-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Old Mother Hubbard have?
"Old Mother Hubbard" has 32 lines of verse.

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