The Swan and the Goose — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics
A certain rich man bought in the market a Goose and a Swan. He fed the one for his table, and kept the other for the sake of its song. When the time came for killing the Goose, the cook went to take him at night, when it was dark, and he was not able to distinguish one bird from the other, and he caught the Swan instead of the Goose. The Swan, threatened with death, burst forth into song, and thus made himself known by his voice, and preserved his life by his melody.
Sweet words may deliver us from peril, when harsh words would fail.
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- rhymes with able
- rhymes with and
- rhymes with bird
- rhymes with bought
- rhymes with burst
- rhymes with came
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- rhymes with fed
- rhymes with for
- rhymes with forth
- rhymes with from
- rhymes with goose
- rhymes with him
- rhymes with himself
- rhymes with his
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- night definition
More Nursery Rhymes
Learning from "The Swan and the Goose"
Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Swan and the Goose" 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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Generate a verseFrequently asked questions
- What are the words to The Swan and the Goose?
- The lyrics to The Swan and the Goose are: A certain rich man bought in the market a Goose and a Swan. He fed the one for his table, and kept the other for the sake of its song. When the time came for killing the Goose, the cook went to take him at night, when it was dark, and he was not able to distinguish one bird from the other, and he caught the Swan instead of the Goose. The Swan, threatened with death, burst forth into song, and thus made himself known by his voice, and preserved his life by his melody. / Sweet words may deliver us from peril, when harsh words would fail.
- How many lines does The Swan and the Goose have?
- "The Swan and the Goose" has 2 lines of verse.
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