Three Little Kittens — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Three little kittens,
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother, dear,
We sadly fear,
Our mittens we have lost.
What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens,
Then you shall have no pie.
Meow, meow,
Then you shall have no pie.
The three little kittens,
They found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother, dear,
See here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.
What, found your mittens,
Then you're good kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Purr-rr, purr-rr,
Then you shall have some pie.
Three little kittens,
Put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie.
Oh, mother, dear,
We sadly fear,
Our mittens we have soiled.
What! Soiled your mittens,
You naughty kittens,
And they began to sigh.
Meow, meow,
And they began to sigh.
The three little kittens,
They washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry.
Oh, mother, dear,
Do you not hear,
Our mittens we have washed?
What! Washed your mittens?
Then you're good kittens!
But I smell a rat close by.
Meow, meow,
We smell a rat close by.
Variation (short version):
Three little kittens,
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother, dear,
We sadly fear,
Our mittens we have lost.
Oh dear, don't fear
Come in and have some pie.

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Learning from "Three Little Kittens"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Three Little Kittens" uses 53 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 Three Little Kittens?
The lyrics to Three Little Kittens are: Three little kittens, / They lost their mittens, / And they began to cry, / Oh, mother, dear, / We sadly fear, / Our mittens we have lost. ... Read the full 53-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Three Little Kittens have?
"Three Little Kittens" has 53 lines of verse.

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