| "Simple Simon" | |
|---|---|
 William Wallace Denslow's illustrations for Simple Simon, from a 1901 edition of Mother Goose | |
| Nursery rhyme | |
| Published | 1764 |
| Songwriter(s) | Traditional |
"Simple Simon" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19777.
The rhyme is as follows;
The verses used today are the first of a longer chapbook history first published in 1764. [1] The character of Simple Simon may have been in circulation much longer, possibly appearing in an Elizabethan chapbook and in a ballad, Simple Simon's Misfortunes and his Wife Margery's Cruelty, from about 1685. [1] Another possible inspiration was Simon Edy, a beggar in the St Giles area in the 18th century. [3]
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