If All the World Was Apple Pie is a short rhyme first published in Harry’s Ladder to Learning in 1850. The original version had a couple of extra lines at the end. It was more of a musing and philosophical poem than a rhyme for little kids.
However, it became a funny nursery rhyme over the years. The existential question is still a part of the rhyme but has a different interpretation. The modern version is used to create a make-believe story to encourage kids to come up with creative versions and give wings to their imagination.
Let’s find out more about the rhyme and the famous apple pie.
Written Lyrics
Original version:
If all the world was apple-pie,
And all the sea was ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have for drink?
It’s enough to have an old man
Scratch his head and think
Modern version:
If all the world were apple pie,
And all the sea were ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What would we have to drink?
Printable Lyrics
Get a copy of the printable PDF file with the old and modern lyrics of the rhyme ‘If All the World Was Apple Pie.
Photo Lyrics
Click on the below image to save it on your device.
Video Links
Check out the animated video with extended lyrics:
Origins and History
Imagine If All the World Was Apple Pie. What would you do? This question became a rhyme in the mid-19th century. Harry's Ladder to Learning is a collection of children’s nursery rhymes. The author of the book is not known but you can get a copy for free from archives on the internet. The version mentions an old man who doesn’t know what to think when the world becomes an apple pie.
The next version of the rhyme was published in The Baby's Bouquet, A Fresh Bunch of Rhymes and Tunes by Walter Crane in 1878. It had three stanzas, and apple pie was changed to paper and sand. It is more detailed but continues the original theme. The Little Mother Goose (1912) has another version but only four lines in a single stanza. Here, apple pie was replaced by water.
But why is apple pie so important?
Apple pie symbolizes the United States and has come to represent the country. Apple pie is also famous in England, where the rhyme originated. In fact, the earliest records show that apple pie originated in England in 1381. Of course, the apples and the recipe are different in both countries, but the love for this dessert continues. Using apple pie in the lyrics makes it easy for readers to connect to the theme.
FAQs
All versions follow the same ABCB rhyme scheme, where the second rhymes with the fourth. The original version had an ABCBDB rhyme scheme.
Yes. A Was an Apple Pie is a popular children’s rhyme that teaches the alphabet to kids. It’s another variant of A for apple and continues to personify each alphabet from A to Z.
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