MYSELF

As I walked by myself,
And talked to myself,
  Myself said unto me: 
“Look to thyself,
Take care of thyself,
  For nobody cares for thee.”

I answered myself,
And said to myself
  In the selfsame repartee: 
“Look to thyself,
Or not look to thyself,
  The selfsame thing will be.”

OVER THE WATER

Over the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley,
I’ll have none of your nasty beef,
Nor I’ll have none of your barley;
But I’ll have some of your very best flour
To make a white cake for my Charley.

CANDLE-SAVING

To make your candles last for aye,
You wives and maids give ear-O! 
To put them out’s the only way,
Says honest John Boldero.

FEARS AND TEARS

Tommy’s tears and Mary’s fears
Will make them old before their years.

THE KILKENNY CATS

There were once two cats of Kilkenny. 
Each thought there was one cat too many;
So they fought and they fit,
And they scratched and they bit,
  Till, excepting their nails,
  And the tips of their tails,
Instead of two cats, there weren’t any.

OLD GRIMES

Old Grimes is dead, that good old man,
     We ne’er shall see him more;
He used to wear a long brown coat
     All buttoned down before.

A WEEK OF BIRTHDAYS

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for its living,
But the child that’s born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

A CHIMNEY

Black within and red without;
Four corners round about.

LADYBIRD

Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home! 
Your house is on fire, your children all gone,
All but one, and her name is Ann,
And she crept under the pudding pan.

THE MAN WHO HAD NAUGHT

There was a man and he had naught,
    And robbers came to rob him;
He crept up to the chimney pot,
    And then they thought they had him.

But he got down on t’other side,
    And then they could not find him;
He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days,
    And never looked behind him.

THE TAILORS AND THE SNAIL