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The Dogs and the Hides — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Some Dogs, famished with hunger, saw some cow-hides steeping in a river. Not being able to reach them, they agreed to drink up the river; but it fell out that they burst themselves with drinking long before they reached the hides.
Attempt not impossibilities.

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Learning from "The Dogs and the Hides"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Dogs and the Hides" 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.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to The Dogs and the Hides?
The lyrics to The Dogs and the Hides are: Some Dogs, famished with hunger, saw some cow-hides steeping in a river. Not being able to reach them, they agreed to drink up the river; but it fell out that they burst themselves with drinking long before they reached the hides. / Attempt not impossibilities.
How many lines does The Dogs and the Hides have?
"The Dogs and the Hides" has 2 lines of verse.