There Was a Little Turtle — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

There was a little turtle
Who lived in a box.
He swam in the puddles
And climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at the mosquito,
He snapped at the flea.
He snapped at the minnow,
And he snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito,
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow,
But he didn't catch me!

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Learning from "There Was a Little Turtle"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "There Was a Little Turtle" uses 12 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 Little Turtle?
The lyrics to There Was a Little Turtle are: There was a little turtle / Who lived in a box. / He swam in the puddles / And climbed on the rocks. / He snapped at the mosquito, / He snapped at the flea. ... Read the full 12-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does There Was a Little Turtle have?
"There Was a Little Turtle" has 12 lines of verse.

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