Polly Put the Kettle On

First recorded: 1803

Origin: England

Lyrics

Polly put the kettle on,Polly put the kettle on,Polly put the kettle on,We’ll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,Sukey take it off again,Sukey take it off again,They’ve all gone away.

Polly puts the kettle on for tea; Sukey takes it off again once everyone has gone. The simplest reading is just a tea party, but a charming family story claims the rhyme was a code: the girls would "make tea" to drive their brothers out of the room, then quietly take the kettle off once they had the place to themselves.

Origins

The song has been documented in print since the early 1800s. The earliest known musical score of the song, titled "Jenny's Baubeen," was published in 1803 with the lyrics we know today.

According to a popular historical account, the rhyme was written by a father who had five children: two boys and three girls. When the daughters wanted their brothers to leave the room so they could play in peace, they would start a game of "tea party." Polly would put the kettle on the fire, prompting the brothers to leave rather than join in. Once the brothers left, Sukey would take the kettle off the fire, leaving the sisters to enjoy their own games.

Meaning & Interpretation

The names Polly and Sukey are traditional nicknames. Polly is a common historical variant of Mary, while Sukey (or Susey) was a standard pet name for Susan in nineteenth-century England.

The song reflects the daily domestic routines of the era, where heavy iron kettles were placed directly onto open fireplaces to boil water. The rhyme's simple call-and-response structure between Polly putting the kettle on and Sukey taking it off makes it an engaging piece for young children learning cooperative play.

What is the story behind Polly Put the Kettle On?

According to family folklore, a father wrote the rhyme about his three daughters and two sons. The girls would pretend to make tea by putting a heavy kettle on the fire to make their brothers leave, taking it off once they had the room to themselves.

Who is Sukey in the rhyme Polly Put the Kettle On?

Sukey is a traditional English diminutive or nickname for Susan. In the rhyme, Sukey plays the role of the sister who removes the kettle from the fire once the guests have gone away.