Hetty Hutton

First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).

This is one of those delightful nonsense rhymes that feels half like a game of make-believe and half like a child assigning random quests to the nearest adults. The rhythm skips from sewing dresses to tipping dollars to trapping a rooster — all with the casual authority of a four-year-old who assumes the entire village is at her command.

It’s not about sense but energy — the bossiness of play, where every name gets a job and every job is urgent for no clear reason at all. You can almost see children passing this around like a chant, each taking a turn as Hetty, Willie, Mister Shuster, Mister Saxon, shouting roles like a miniature town council gone slightly mad.

It’s exactly the kind of cheerful absurdity that belongs to childhood — brisk, illogical, and absolutely delightful.