Simple Simon - The Nursery Rhyme Collections

The Nursery Rhymes Collections 1-4 contain a total of 277 children's songs. Each double CD album showcases the highest quality children's music ever recorded with a total playing time in excess of 10 hours!

Simple Simon (Full Audio and Lyrics)

Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair
Said Simple Simon to the pieman
"Let me taste your ware"

The pieman said to Simple Simon
"Show me first your penny"
Said Simple Simon to the pieman
"Sir, I have not any!"
(Let me taste your ware,
show me first your penny)

Said the man to Simple Simon,
"Do you plan to pay?"
Said Simon, "Yes, of course I do,"
But then he ran away!

(wait, come back here, where do you go?
Come back, where you going?
Hold on mate)

Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much
which made poor Simon whistle.

He went for water in a sieve
but soon it all fell through;
And finally poor Simple Simon
Bids you all adieu"
(Adieu, see you next time, adieu!)

Words & Music: Traditional
Arrangement: Mike Wilbury

Origin and background

Presumably the song is based on the ballad Simple Simon's Misfortunes and his Wife Margery's Cruelty, from the late 17th century. The verses used in our version are the first of a longer chapbook history (1764). We used quite a fresh musical arrangement, performed by the 3 Lovac brothers, aged 12,13 and 14 at the time of the recording. The little comments were spoken by Chris White who also appeared as the famous Old MacDonald himself.