Lil' Shelf
Cover of A Man and a Maid

A Man and a Maid

Traditional

ages 5 to 8nursery rhymesread aloudabout 43 seconds aloud

A little man proposes to a little maid in rhyming, repeating lines, and she wants to know how they will eat before she says yes. The doubled-up endings, wed wed wed, spit spit spit, are great fun to say aloud.

From Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional). See the whole collection.

There was a little man,
    Who wooed a little maid,
And he said, "Little maid, will you wed, wed, wed?
    I have little more to say,
    So will you, yea or nay,
For least said is soonest mended-ded, ded, ded."

The little maid replied,
    "Should I be your little bride,
Pray what must we have for to eat, eat, eat?
    Will the flame that you're so rich in
    Light a fire in the kitchen?
Or the little god of love turn the spit, spit, spit?"

Public domain. Text from The Real Mother Goose (Blanche Fisher Wright, 1916), via Project Gutenberg. View the source edition

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