Simple Simon Met a Pieman
Simple Simon is sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle!
Simple Simon Met a Pieman
Nursery Rhyme
Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed, I have not any."
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale;
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.
Notes
Here's the version in the mp3:
Simple Simon Went a-Fishing.
Simple Simon met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed I have not any."
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale;
But all the water he could find
Was in his mother's pail!
Here's another version of Simple Simon from A History of Nursery Rhymes (1899) by Percy B. Green:
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale,
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.
Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle,
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.
Simple Simon went to town
To buy a piece of meat,
He tied it to his horse's tail
To keep it clean and sweet.
Here's a longer version from The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright:
Simple Simon
Simple Simon met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny,"
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed, I have not any."
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale;
All the water he could find
Was in his mother's pail!
Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.
He went to catch a dicky bird,
And thought he could not fail,
Because he had a little salt,
To put upon its tail.
He went for water with a sieve,
But soon it ran all through;
And now poor Simple Simon
Bids you all adieu.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The illustration and the first version of the rhyme come from The National Nursery Book. The 2nd illustration comes from An Alphabet of Old Friends (1874) by Walter Crane (with a little graphical editing by Lisa Yannucci). The 3rd illustration is from The Young Folks Treasury, Volume 1 (1909).
