This Old Man — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

1
This old man, he played one,
He played knick knack with his thumb,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
2
This old man, he played two,
He played knick knack with my shoe,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
3
This old man, he played three,
He played knick knack on my knee,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
4
This old man, he played four,
He played knick knack at my door,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
5
This old man, he played five,
He played knick knack, jazz and jive,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
6
This old man, he played six,
He played knick knack with his sticks,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
7
This old man, he played seven,
He played knick knack with his pen,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
8
This old man, he played eight,
He played knick knack on my gate,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
9
This old man, he played nine,
He played knick knack, rise and shine,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
10
This old man, he played ten,
He played knick knack in my den,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
11
This old man, he played eleven,
He played knick knack up in heaven,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
12
This old man, he played twelve,
He played knick knack, dig and delve,
With a
Knick, knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.

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Learning from "This Old Man"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "This Old Man" uses 84 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 This Old Man?
The lyrics to This Old Man are: 1 / This old man, he played one, / He played knick knack with his thumb, / With a / Knick, knack, paddy whack, / Give the dog a bone; ... Read the full 84-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does This Old Man have?
"This Old Man" has 84 lines of verse.

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