Full Lyrics
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Four-score men and four-score more,
Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.
About This Song
"Humpty Dumpty" is one of the most famous nursery rhymes in the English language, first published in 1797 in Juvenile Amusements by Samuel Arnold. Despite the iconic image of a smiling egg, the original rhyme never actually mentions an egg — that interpretation came later through stage productions and Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871).
Some historians believe the rhyme was originally a riddle, with "egg" as the answer — something irreversibly broken. Others suggest it may reference a large cannon called "Humpty Dumpty" used during the English Civil War that fell from a wall and could not be repaired.
Whatever its origins, this short and dramatic rhyme captivates children with its vivid imagery and has inspired countless books, films, and retellings across the world for over two centuries.