“Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater” is an old English nursery rhyme of uncertain origins. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 13497. The rhyme was published in Infant Institutes around 1797 in London. Later on, it was included in the book Mother Goose’s Quarto: or Melodies Complete that was published in 1825 in the U.S.A. A similar song was found in 1868 in Scotland, but not mentioning a pumpkin:
“Peter, my neeper,
Had a wife,
And he couldna’ keep her,
He pat her i’ the wa’,
And lat a’ the mice eat her”.
Although this is a classic song for children, its meaning is frequently disputed: either the pumpkin stands for a chastity belt that Peter obliged his wife to wear, or Peter killed his wife and hid her body in a pumpkin. Parents today still find it difficult to answer to their kids’ questions without raising a plentiful of new ones.
It is most common that only the first verse is sung – yet you’ll find both verses of the lyrics on this page, as well as a printable PDF file with lyrics for free download. You can also watch a 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
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife but couldn’t keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well.
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had another and didn’t love her;
Peter learned to read and spell,
And then he loved her very well.
Sing-along Video
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