Ririro

Taffy was a Welshman (Nursery Rhyme)

Summary


"Taffy Was a Welshman" is a traditional nursery rhyme that follows a lively back-and-forth between a thieving Welshman named Taffy and the narrator he keeps stealing from. Each verse sees Taffy sneaking into the narrator's house to steal beef, lamb, or meat — and each time the narrator retaliates with increasingly ridiculous revenge, from hitting Taffy on the head to stuffing his socks with sawdust and filling his shoes with clay. The rhyme builds with mischievous energy and bouncy repetition.

Listen to audio


Read Online

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house and stole a leg of beef;
I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was in bed;
I took the leg of meat and hit him on the head.

A cheeky man steals a leg of meat from a cottage in the nursery rhyme Taffy Was a Welshman.

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef;
I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy wasn’t in;
I jumped on his Sunday hat and poked it with a pin.

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a sham;
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of lamb;
I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was away,
I stuffed his socks with sawdust and filled his shoes with clay.

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a cheat,
Taffy came to my house, and stole a piece of meat;
I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was not there,
I hung his coat and trousers to roast before a fire.

Add Ririro as a Preferred Source on Google
Related tags
, , , , , , , ,

Credits

Ririro presents this well-known English nursery rhyme, which dates back to at least the 18th century and is believed to have roots in Anglo-Welsh tensions along the border regions. Its catchy, repetitive structure has made it a staple of oral tradition and childhood verse collections for generations.