The Piper And His Cow — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was a piper had a cow,
And he had naught to give her;
He pulled out his pipes and played her a tune,
And bade the cow consider.
The cow considered very well,
And gave the piper a penny,
And bade him play the other tune,
"Corn rigs are bonny."

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Learning from "The Piper And His Cow"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Piper And His Cow" uses 8 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 Piper And His Cow?
The lyrics to The Piper And His Cow are: There was a piper had a cow, / And he had naught to give her; / He pulled out his pipes and played her a tune, / And bade the cow consider. / The cow considered very well, / And gave the piper a penny, ... Read the full 8-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does The Piper And His Cow have?
"The Piper And His Cow" has 8 lines of verse.

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