The Crooked Sixpence — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence beside a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

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Learning from "The Crooked Sixpence"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Crooked Sixpence" 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 Crooked Sixpence?
The lyrics to The Crooked Sixpence are: There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile, / He found a crooked sixpence beside a crooked stile; / He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse, / And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
How many lines does The Crooked Sixpence have?
"The Crooked Sixpence" has 4 lines of verse.

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