There Was a Crooked Man — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house

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Learning from "There Was a Crooked Man"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "There Was a Crooked Man" 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 There Was a Crooked Man?
The lyrics to There Was a Crooked Man are: There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile. / He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile. / He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse, / And they all lived together in a little crooked house
How many lines does There Was a Crooked Man have?
"There Was a Crooked Man" has 4 lines of verse.

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