Mythology & Folklore
Hey! diddle, diddle (another version)
From The Nursery Rhymes of England, collected by J. O. Halliwell (London: Warne; first ed. 1842; this printing 1886)
"Hey! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle"--
Yes, thee may say that, for that is nonsense.
"The cow jumped over the moon"--
Oh no! Mary, thee musn't say that, for that is a falsehood;
thee knows a cow could never jump over the moon; but a cow may
jump under it; so thee ought to say--"The cow jumped under
the moon." Yes,--
"The cow jumped under the moon;
The little dog laughed"--
Oh Mary, stop. How can a little dog laugh? thee knows a
little dog can't laugh. Thee ought to say--"The little dog
barked--to see the sport,"
"And the dish ran after the spoon"--
Stop, Mary, stop. A dish could never run after a spoon; thee
ought to know that. Thee had better say--"And the cat ran
after the spoon." So,--
"Hey! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jump'd under the moon;
The little dog bark'd,
To see the sport,
And the cat ran after the spoon!"
Codex Note
Halliwell's class: Jingles.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (English nursery rhymes). “Hey! diddle, diddle (another version).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-english-nursery-rhymes/434/.
Chicago
Anonymous (English nursery rhymes). “Hey! diddle, diddle (another version).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-english-nursery-rhymes/434/.
Read this poem with the Codex →