When I was a bachelor
—I lived by myself;
And all the bread and cheese I got
—I put upon the shelf.

The rats and the mice
—They made such a strife,
I was forced to go to London
—To buy me a wife.

The streets were so bad,
—And the lanes were so narrow,
I was forced to bring my wife home
—In a wheelbarrow.

The wheelbarrow broke,
—And my wife had a fall,
Down came wheelbarrow,
—Little wife and all.