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The Oxen and the Axle Trees — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of oxen. The axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly, when the oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels: "Hallo there! why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we, not you, ought to cry out."
Those who suffer most cry out the least.

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Learning from "The Oxen and the Axle Trees"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Oxen and the Axle Trees" 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 Oxen and the Axle Trees?
The lyrics to The Oxen and the Axle Trees are: A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of oxen. The axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly, when the oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels: "Hallo there! why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we, not you, ought to cry out." / Those who suffer most cry out the least.
How many lines does The Oxen and the Axle Trees have?
"The Oxen and the Axle Trees" has 2 lines of verse.