The Dog and the Hare — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A Hound, having started a Hare on the hill-side, pursued her for some distance, at one time biting her with his teeth as if he would take her life, and at another time fawning upon her, as if in play with another dog. The Hare said to him: "I wish you would act sincerely by me, and show yourself in your true colors. If you are a friend, why do you bite me so hard? If an enemy, why do you fawn on me?"
They are no friends whom you know not whether to trust or to distrust.

Explore Words From This Rhyme

Find Rhymes

Look Up Definitions

More Nursery Rhymes

Browse all nursery rhymes →

Learning from "The Dog and the Hare"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Dog and the Hare" uses 2 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.

Create your own verse

Inspired by "The Dog and the Hare"? Try writing your own rhymes:

Generate a verse

Frequently asked questions

What are the words to The Dog and the Hare?
The lyrics to The Dog and the Hare are: A Hound, having started a Hare on the hill-side, pursued her for some distance, at one time biting her with his teeth as if he would take her life, and at another time fawning upon her, as if in play with another dog. The Hare said to him: "I wish you would act sincerely by me, and show yourself in your true colors. If you are a friend, why do you bite me so hard? If an enemy, why do you fawn on me?" / They are no friends whom you know not whether to trust or to distrust.
How many lines does The Dog and the Hare have?
"The Dog and the Hare" has 2 lines of verse.

Explore More Word Tools