Wee Willie Winkie — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Wee Willie Winkie
Runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs
In his nightgown.
Rapping at the windows,
Crying through the lock,
"Are the children all in bed?
For it's now eight o'clock.

Explore Words From This Rhyme

Find Rhymes

Look Up Definitions

More Nursery Rhymes

Browse all nursery rhymes →

Learning from "Wee Willie Winkie"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Wee Willie Winkie" uses 8 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.

Create your own verse

Inspired by "Wee Willie Winkie"? Try writing your own rhymes:

Generate a verse

Frequently asked questions

What are the words to Wee Willie Winkie?
The lyrics to Wee Willie Winkie are: Wee Willie Winkie / Runs through the town, / Upstairs and downstairs / In his nightgown. / Rapping at the windows, / Crying through the lock, ... Read the full 8-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Wee Willie Winkie have?
"Wee Willie Winkie" has 8 lines of verse.

Explore More Word Tools