Buttons
Buttons, a farthing a pair!
Come, who will buy them of me?
They're round and sound and pretty,
And fit for girls of the city.
Come, who will buy them of me?
Buttons, a farthing a pair!
Origin
Buttons comes from the era when streets were the shopping mall.
Long before stores lined every corner, vendors walked through town calling out their goods. A button seller didn’t have a fancy sign or a stall—just a small box of buttons and a loud voice. The cry “Buttons, a farthing a pair!” is not poetic invention. It’s exactly what people shouted in real markets. A farthing was the smallest coin in circulation, barely worth anything, so the seller wasn’t dealing in luxury. This was everyday survival—sell enough small things and hope the coins added up.
Nursery-rhyme collectors in the 19th century loved preserving these street cries. They felt like living soundbites of city life. That’s how this little verse ended up in printed collections: someone heard it, smiled, and decided not to let it vanish.
1. A simple retelling
A street seller walks through town calling out an offer to sell cheap, pretty buttons to anyone who will buy them.
2. The characters
Main character: The button seller (street vendor).
Other characters: Implied customers in the city.
3. Setting
A city street or marketplace.
4. Theme
Everyday street trade and small-city commerce.
5. Moral
No clear lesson.
