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Over The Water — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Over the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley,
I'll have none of your nasty beef,
Nor I'll have none of your barley;
But I'll have some of your very best flour
To make a white cake for my Charley.

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Learning from "Over The Water"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Over The Water" uses 6 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 Over The Water?
The lyrics to Over The Water are: Over the water, and over the sea, / And over the water to Charley, / I'll have none of your nasty beef, / Nor I'll have none of your barley; / But I'll have some of your very best flour / To make a white cake for my Charley.
How many lines does Over The Water have?
"Over The Water" has 6 lines of verse.