Little Jack Horner Nursery Rhyme is one of the most popular nursery rhymes in the English Language. The melody for the most popular version of this poem was composed by James William Elliot in his National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs.
The earliest mention of this nursery rhyme can be found in a book written in 1764, it has a mangled version of the modern version. The earliest version of the modern version can be found in a well-known verse in a ballad called Namby Pamby, a ballad by Henry Carey.
Also, read Miss Polly Had A Dolly.
Later, in around 19th century, many records suggest that this poem might actually be about a steward called Thomas Horner. Thomas Horner served as a steward for Richard Whiting, the last abbot of Glastonbury before King Henry VIII of England ordered the dissolution of the monasteries. It is said that Thomas Horner was sent with a huge Christmas pie to the king, in order to convince the King to decide against the dissolution of the monasteries. The most common version is given below. Read and sing along!
Little Jack Horner Nursery Rhyme
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Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said ‘What a good boy am I.
Original Lyrics to Little Jack Horner
“Now he sings of Jacky Horner
Sitting in the Chimney-corner
Eating a Christmas pie,
Putting in his thumb, Oh Fie
Putting in, Oh Fie! his Thumb
Pulling out, Oh Strange! a Plum.
Summary:
In this poem, the narrator talks about a boy named Jack Horner. The lines in the poem suggest that Jack Horner was a little boy. The narrator tells us that Little Jack Horner is sitting in a corner with a Christmas pie in his lap.
Little Jack Horner, in the poem as narrated by the narrator, puts his thumb in the pie. And when he pulls his thumb out, he finds a plum stuck to his thumb. When he sees this, he screams with happiness “What a good boy am I!”