Little Jack Horner is a classic English nursery rhyme about a little boy pulling out a plum – the best part – from a Christmas pie and feeling happy with his deed.
This rhyme has a startling history with many people saying that it actually started out as a song to highlight the opportunistic acts of politicians – who dipped their fingers into the pie or public funds, gifts, etc, and took the best for themselves. The song celebrates the greediness that some people associate with politics.
Additionally, the song was thought to be a satirical take on the dishonest actions of Thomas Horner in the Tudor period. The rhyme was first documented in Mother Goose’s Melody, a collection of nursery rhymes.
Lyrics for Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy am I, am I!”
And said, “What a good boy am I, am I!”