The West — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was an Old Man of the West,
Who wore a pale plum-colored vest;
When they said, "Does it fit?" he replied, "Not a bit!"
That uneasy Old Man of the West.

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Learning from "The West"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "The West" uses 4 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 West?
The lyrics to The West are: There was an Old Man of the West, / Who wore a pale plum-colored vest; / When they said, "Does it fit?" he replied, "Not a bit!" / That uneasy Old Man of the West.
How many lines does The West have?
"The West" has 4 lines of verse.

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