Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is the titular character of an English nursery rhyme first published in 1797, depicting a figure who sits on a wall, suffers a great fall, and cannot be reassembled despite the efforts of numerous individuals.[1][2] The rhyme's earliest recorded version appeared in Samuel Arnold's Juvenile Amusements, with the lines: "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, / Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. / Four-score Men and Four-score more, / Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before."[1] Subsequent variants, such as the 1810 printing in Gammer Gurton's Garland, adjusted the wording slightly to "Threescore men and threescore more, / Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before," while later editions from 1813 onward introduced the iconic reference to "the king's horses and all the king's men."[1] Originally functioning as a riddle whose solution is an egg—due to the impossibility of reconstructing a broken eggshell—the rhyme's structure and imagery have roots in oral traditions predating print, with the name "Humpty Dumpty" appearing as slang for a short, clumsy person as early as 1701.[1] In literary history, Humpty Dumpty gained prominence through Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871), where he is anthropomorphized as a sentient egg engaging in philosophical wordplay, solidifying his cultural image as a fragile, egg-shaped entity.[1] Scholarly analyses, including those in Iona and Peter Opie's The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951, revised 1997), emphasize its metafolklore elements, dismissing unsubstantiated historical theories—such as links to King Richard III or a Civil War cannon—as modern inventions without primary evidence.[1][3] The character's enduring legacy extends to illustrations, toys, and adaptations in children's literature, symbolizing irreparable mishaps while serving as a staple in Anglo-American folklore.[1]The Nursery Rhyme
Lyrics
The traditional form of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme consists of four lines, often presented as follows:Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,This quatrain follows an AABB rhyme scheme, with the first and second lines rhyming ("wall" and "fall") and the third and fourth lines rhyming ("men" and "again"). The meter is primarily iambic tetrameter, featuring four iambs per line (unstressed-stressed syllable pairs), which contributes to its rhythmic simplicity and memorability in oral recitation.[1] Historical variants of the rhyme show minor differences in wording and phrasing, reflecting adaptations in early printed collections. For instance, a 1797 version from Samuel Arnold's Juvenile Amusements reads: "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, / Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. / Four-score Men and Four-score more, / Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before."[1] An 1810 printing in Gammer Gurton's Garland uses "sate" instead of "sat" and "threescore" (sixty) in place of "all the king's horses and all the king's men," ending with "Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before."[1] By 1835, a version substituted "Not all the King’s money nor all the King’s men / Could put Humpty Dumpty up again," introducing "up" rather than "together."[1] Regional and later oral variants sometimes alter the final line to "Couldn't set Humpty up again" or similar phrasings, emphasizing restoration over reassembly.[1] Prior to its first printed appearances in the late 18th century, the rhyme existed in oral tradition, passed down through storytelling and recitation among English-speaking communities, which allowed for such fluid variations in wording before standardization.[1]
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.[1]