“Jack Sprat” is an old nursery rhyme from England. The origins are unknown, yet it was first mentioned by John Clarke in his collection of English proverbs from 1639 under these exact words:
“Jack will eat not fat, and Jull doth love no leane,
Yet betwixt them both they lick the dishes cleane”.
In around 1765, it was included in the “Mother Goose’s Melody“ collection of nursery rhymes,
Back in the 16th century the name Jack Sprat stood for dwarfs or short people. Through the years, there have been various interpretations of the meaning of this rhyme. According to one of these theories, Jack Sprat is King Charles I; another one depicts Prince John and the story of his marriage with Joan, while a third one relates the character of Jack Sprat with the Robin Hood legend.
Usually only the first of the four verses is sung. On this page you will find the full version of the lyrics and a printable PDF file with lyrics for free download. You can also watch a nice animated sing-along video.
Table of Contents
Printable Lyrics PDF
Click on the button to download a PDF file with lyrics to this song for free.
Lyrics
Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
And so between them both, you see
They licked the platter clean.
Jack ate all the lean,
Joan ate all the fat.
The bone they picked it clean,
Then gave it to the cat.
Jack Sprat was wheeling,
His wife by the ditch.
The barrow turned over,
And in she did pitch.
Says Jack, “She’ll be drowned!”
But Joan did reply,
“I don’t think I shall,
For the ditch is quite dry.”
Animated Sing-along Video
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