Aiken Drum (Nursery Rhyme)

Summary


Aiken Drum is a playful nursery rhyme about a curious man who lives in the moon and wears clothes made entirely of food — a hat of cream cheese, a coat of roast beef, and breeches of haggis bags. Each bouncy, repeating verse introduces a new edible detail, building a wonderfully absurd picture of this moon-dwelling musician who plays upon a ladle. The rhyme's rhythmic repetition makes it irresistible to read aloud, drawing children deeper into Aiken Drum's deliciously strange world with every verse.


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There was a man lived in the moon, lived in the moon, lived in the moon,
There was a man lived in the moon,
And his name was Aiken Drum.

And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle,
And he played upon a ladle,
and his name was Aiken Drum.

And his hat was made of good cream cheese, of good cream cheese, of good cream cheese,
And his hat was made of good cream cheese,
And his name was Aiken Drum.

And his coat was made of good roast beef, of good roast beef, of good roast beef,
And his coat was made of good roast beef,
And his name was Aiken Drum.

And his buttons made of penny loaves, of penny loaves, of penny loaves,
And his buttons made of penny loaves,
And his name was Aiken Drum.

And his waistcoat was made of crust pies, of crust pies, of crust pies,
And his waistcoat was made of crust pies,
And his name was Aiken Drum.

And his breeches made of haggis bags, of haggis bags, of haggis bags,
And his breeches made of haggis bags,
And his name was Aiken Drum.


Credits

Ririro is the in-house editorial team at Ririro.com, dedicated to bringing classic nursery rhymes, poems, and stories to readers everywhere for free. Aiken Drum is a traditional Scottish nursery rhyme and folk song, likely rooted in Scottish culture given its reference to haggis — a distinctly Scottish dish — and has been sung and recited by generations of children across the British Isles.