The Three Sons — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was an old woman had three sons,
Jerry and James and John,
Jerry was hanged, James was drowned,
John was lost and never was found;
And there was an end of her three sons,
Jerry and James and John!

Explore Words From This Rhyme

Find Rhymes

Look Up Definitions

More Nursery Rhymes

Browse all nursery rhymes →

Learning from "The Three Sons"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The Three Sons" uses 6 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 Three Sons"? Try writing your own rhymes:

Generate a verse

Frequently asked questions

What are the words to The Three Sons?
The lyrics to The Three Sons are: There was an old woman had three sons, / Jerry and James and John, / Jerry was hanged, James was drowned, / John was lost and never was found; / And there was an end of her three sons, / Jerry and James and John!
How many lines does The Three Sons have?
"The Three Sons" has 6 lines of verse.

Explore More Word Tools