Only One was Going to St Ives — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives.
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits.
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were going to St. Ives?

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Learning from "Only One was Going to St Ives"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Only One was Going to St Ives" uses 7 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 Only One was Going to St Ives?
The lyrics to Only One was Going to St Ives are: As I was going to St. Ives, / I met a man with seven wives. / Each wife had seven sacks, / Each sack had seven cats, / Each cat had seven kits. / Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, ... Read the full 7-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Only One was Going to St Ives have?
"Only One was Going to St Ives" has 7 lines of verse.

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