Market Square

Alan Alexander Milne

I had a penny,

A bright new penny,

I took my penny

To the market square.

I wanted a rabbit,

A little brown rabbit,

And I looked for a rabbit

‘Most everywhere.

For I went to the stall where they sold sweet lavender

(Only a penny for a bunch of lavender!).

Have you got a rabbit, ‘cos I don’t want lavender?

But they hadn’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I had a penny,

And I had another penny,

I took my pennies

To the market square.

I did want a rabbit,

A little baby rabbit,

And I looked for rabbits

‘Most everywhere.

And I went to the stall where they sold fresh mackerel

(Now then! Tuppence for a fresh-caught mackerel!).

Have you got a rabbit, ‘cos I don’t like mackerel?

But they hadn’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I found a sixpence,

A little white sixpence.

I took it in my hand

To the market square.

I was buying my rabbit

I do like rabbits),

And I looked for my rabbit

‘Most everywhere.

So I went to the stall where they sold fine saucepans

(Walk up, walk up, sixpence for a saucepan!).

Could I have a rabbit, ‘cos we’ve got two saucepans?

But they hadn’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I had nuffin’,

No, I hadn’t got nuffin’,

So I didn’t go down

To the market square;

But I walked on the common,

The old-gold common…

And I saw little rabbits

‘Most everywhere!

So I’m sorry for the people who sell fine saucepans,

I’m sorry for the people who sell fresh mackerel,

I’m sorry for the people who sell sweet lavender,

‘Cos they haven’t got a rabbit, not anywhere there!”