There Was a Piper Had a Cow
There was a piper had a cow,
And he had naught to give her;
He pulled out his pipes and played her a tune,
And bade the cow consider.
The cow considered very well,
And gave the piper a penny,
And bade him play the other tune,
"Corn rigs* are bonny."**
Notes
*A ridge of corn plants growing in the ground.
**"Corn Rigs are Bonny" is the name of the song the cow wanted the piper to play!
Here's another version of this rhyme from Harry's Ladder to Learning (1850):
There was a piper who had a cow,
But he had no hay to give her;
So he took his pipes and played a tune,
Consider, old cow, consider!
Photos & Illustrations
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The 1st illustration is from Mother Goose, The Original Volland Edition (1915), edited and arranged by Eulalie Osgood Grover and illustrated by Frederick Richardson (with some graphical editing by Mama Lisa) and the 2nd illustration is from The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).
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