The Fox who had Lost his Tail — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A Fox, caught in a trap, escaped with the loss of his "brush." Henceforth, feeling his life a burden from the shame and ridicule to which he was exposed, he schemed to bring all the other Foxes into a like condition with himself. He publicly advised them to cut off their tails, saying "that they would not only look much better without them, but that they would get rid of the weight of the brush." One of them said: "If you had not yourself lost your tail, my friend, you would not thus counsel us."
Advice prompted by selfishness should not be heeded.

Explore Words From This Rhyme

Find Rhymes

Look Up Definitions

More Nursery Rhymes

Browse all nursery rhymes →

Learning from "The Fox who had Lost his Tail"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Fox who had Lost his Tail" 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 Fox who had Lost his Tail"? Try writing your own rhymes:

Generate a verse

Frequently asked questions

What are the words to The Fox who had Lost his Tail?
The lyrics to The Fox who had Lost his Tail are: A Fox, caught in a trap, escaped with the loss of his "brush." Henceforth, feeling his life a burden from the shame and ridicule to which he was exposed, he schemed to bring all the other Foxes into a like condition with himself. He publicly advised them to cut off their tails, saying "that they would not only look much better without them, but that they would get rid of the weight of the brush." One of them said: "If you had not yourself lost your tail, my friend, you would not thus counsel us." / Advice prompted by selfishness should not be heeded.
How many lines does The Fox who had Lost his Tail have?
"The Fox who had Lost his Tail" has 2 lines of verse.

Explore More Word Tools