The Party — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Billy Bluebird had a party
In an elder tree,
But the little black-eyed smarty
Didn't ask us to his party
Neither you nor me.
This is what they had for dinner,
For I peeked to see:
Apple seeds and beetle finner,
And for drink the little sinner
Gave them tansy tea.
But there came an awful clatter
From that elder tree,
When he served them on a platter
Hopper-hash and brick-dust batter
Trimmed with celery!
All the folks were hale and hearty,
Happy as could be;
And that little black-eyed smarty
Left out of his funny party
Only you and me.

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Learning from "The Party"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Party" uses 20 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 Party?
The lyrics to The Party are: Billy Bluebird had a party / In an elder tree, / But the little black-eyed smarty / Didn't ask us to his party / Neither you nor me. / This is what they had for dinner, ... Read the full 20-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does The Party have?
"The Party" has 20 lines of verse.

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