Pancake Day — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Great A, little a,
This is pancake day;
Toss the ball high,
Throw the ball low,
Those that come after
May sing heigh-ho!

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Learning from "Pancake Day"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Pancake Day" 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 Pancake Day?
The lyrics to Pancake Day are: Great A, little a, / This is pancake day; / Toss the ball high, / Throw the ball low, / Those that come after / May sing heigh-ho!
How many lines does Pancake Day have?
"Pancake Day" has 6 lines of verse.

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