Polly Had Some China Cows — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Polly had some china cows
And Peter had a gun.
She turned the bossies out to browse,
And Peterkin, for fun,
Just peppered them with butter beans
And blew them all to smithereens.
Now what will pretty Polly do
For milk and cream and butter too?

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Learning from "Polly Had Some China Cows"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Polly Had Some China Cows" 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 Polly Had Some China Cows?
The lyrics to Polly Had Some China Cows are: Polly had some china cows / And Peter had a gun. / She turned the bossies out to browse, / And Peterkin, for fun, / Just peppered them with butter beans / And blew them all to smithereens. ... Read the full 8-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Polly Had Some China Cows have?
"Polly Had Some China Cows" has 8 lines of verse.

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