Sonny — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A sailor gave his sonny
Nearly half a pint of money
And sent him out to buy a ton of coal;
But he met a poor old miser
Who told him it were wiser
To bury all his money in a hole.
A sailor gave his sonny
Nearly half a pint of money
And told him he should buy a suit of clothes;
But he saw a pretty maiden
With all kinds of posies laden,
And he gave her all his money for a rose.
Then the sailor gave his sonny
Nearly half a pint of money
To buy a little garden and a house;
But he found him the next day,
In a shop on Yesler Way,
A-buying cheese and crackers for a mouse.

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Learning from "Sonny"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Sonny" uses 18 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 Sonny?
The lyrics to Sonny are: A sailor gave his sonny / Nearly half a pint of money / And sent him out to buy a ton of coal; / But he met a poor old miser / Who told him it were wiser / To bury all his money in a hole. ... Read the full 18-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Sonny have?
"Sonny" has 18 lines of verse.

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