Simple Simon

First recorded: 1764

Origin: England

Lyrics

Simple Simon met a pieman,Going to the fair;Says Simple Simon to the pieman,Let me taste your ware.

Says the pieman to Simple Simon,Show me first your penny;Says Simple Simon to the pieman,Sir, I have not any.

Simple Simon went a-fishing,For to catch a whale;All the water he had got,Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to lookIf plums grew on a thistle;He pricked his fingers very much,Which made poor Simon whistle.

He went for water in a sieveBut soon it all fell throughAnd now poor Simple SimonBids you all adieu!

Simple Simon asks a pieman for a taste with no penny to pay, fishes for a whale in his mother's pail, hunts for plums on a thistle, and tries to carry water in a sieve. The rhyme is a catalogue of his foolishness, and "Simple Simon" has been shorthand for a likeable idiot since the 1700s.

Origins

While the character of Simple Simon has old roots in English folklore, the lyrics commonly recited today were first published in a chapbook in London in 1764. Chapbooks were small, inexpensive pamphlets sold by traveling peddlers, which helped spread folklore and songs to the general public. An earlier ballad titled Simple Simon's Misfortunes and his Wife Margery's Cruelty was printed in 1685, showing that the character was well known in seventeenth-century England.

Meaning & Interpretation

The rhyme functions as a lighthearted cautionary tale about the importance of common sense and social etiquette. In the most famous opening verses, Simon meets a pieman going to the local fair and asks to taste his wares, only to be asked for a penny. Simon's reply that he has no money highlights his failure to understand basic commerce, expecting to receive hot pies for free. Subsequent verses describe Simon performing impossible tasks, such as fishing for a whale in a small bucket of water, searching for plums on a prickly thistle, and trying to carry water in a sieve. These absurd scenarios highlight Simon's lovable foolishness. Some historians suggest the character might have been inspired by Simon Edy, a well-known beggar who lived in London during the mid-eighteenth century.

What is the meaning of Simple Simon?

The rhyme is a humorous cautionary tale about a naive character who lacks common sense. Through his encounters with a pieman and his foolish attempts to catch a whale in a pail or carry water in a sieve, the rhyme teaches children about practical reasoning and commerce.

When was Simple Simon first published?

The modern version of the rhyme was first printed in a London chapbook in 1764. The character himself had appeared earlier in a broadside ballad in 1685.