Berryman and Baxter,
   Prettiboy and Penn
And old Farmer Middleton
   Are five big men ...
And all of them were after
   The Little Black Hen.

She ran quickly,
   They ran fast;
Baxter was first, and
   Berryman was last.
I sat and watched
   By the old plum-tree ...
She squawked through the hedge
   And she came to me.

The Little Black Hen
   Said, "Oh, it's you!"
I said, "Thank you,
   How do you do?
And please will you tell me,
   Little Black Hen,
What did they want,
   Those five big men?"

The Little Black Hen
   She said to me:
"They want me to lay them
   An egg for tea.
If they were Emperors,
   If they were Kings,
I'm much too busy
   To lay them things."

"I'm not a King
   And I haven't a crown:
I climb up trees,
   And I tumble down.
I can shut one eye,
   I can count to ten,
So lay me an egg, please,
   Little Black Hen."The Little Black Hen said,
   "What will you pay,
If I lay you an egg
   For Easter Day?"

"I'll give you a Please
   And a How-do-you-do,
I'll show you a Bear
   Who lives in the Zoo,
I'll show you the nettle-place
   On my leg,
If you'll lay me a great big
   Eastery egg."

The Little Black Hen
   Said, "I don't care
For a How-do-you-do
   Or a Big-brown-bear,
But I'll lay you a beautiful
   Eastery egg,
If you'll show me the nettle-place
   On your leg."

I showed her the place
   Where I had my sting.
She touched it gently
   With one black wing.
"Nettles don't hurt
If you count to ten.
   And now for the egg,"
Said the Little Black Hen.

When I wake up
   On Easter Day,
I shall see my egg
   She's promised to lay.
If I were Emperors,
   If I were Kings,
It couldn't be fuller
   Of wonderful things.

Berryman and Baxter,
   Prettiboy and Penn,
And old Farmer Middleton
   Are five big men.
All of them are wanting
   An egg for their tea,
But the Little Black Hen is much too busy,
The Little Black Hen is much too busy,
The Little Black Hen is MUCH too busy ...
   She's laying my egg for me!