The Cape — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was an Old Man of the Cape,
Who possessed a large Barbary Ape;
Till the Ape, one dark night, set the house all alight,
Which burned that Old Man of the Cape.

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Learning from "The Cape"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Cape" uses 4 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 The Cape?
The lyrics to The Cape are: There was an Old Man of the Cape, / Who possessed a large Barbary Ape; / Till the Ape, one dark night, set the house all alight, / Which burned that Old Man of the Cape.
How many lines does The Cape have?
"The Cape" has 4 lines of verse.

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