Lyrics
Polly, put the kettle on, Polly, put the kettle on, Polly, put the kettle on, We’ll all have tea. Sukey, take it off again, Sukey, take it off again, Sukey, take it off again, They’ve all gone away.
#Polly Put the Kettle On at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Sung in
- English
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- Tune printed by about 1794; Polly and Molly titles documented around 1800
- Best for ages
- 2–6
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 24 August 2026
How to sing it
- Begin slowly so everyone can hear the repeated words and the action cue.
- Mime placing a safe toy kettle on a stove, pouring tea, and carefully taking the kettle away.
- Repeat the song once and invite a different child to lead the cues.
Meaning and origin
Two short verses make a reversible domestic story. Polly is asked to put the kettle on so everyone can have tea; after the visitors leave, Sukey is asked to take it off again. The rhyme never explains who Polly, Sukey or the visitors are, and the retrieved sources do not identify them as historical people. Their job in the song is practical: one begins the action and the other ends it.
The tune’s paper trail is older and less tidy than the familiar words. A melody called “Jenny’s Babee” was printed around 1794 and later associated with both “Molly Put the Kettle On” and “Polly Put the Kettle On” titles around 1800. Later nursery collections preserve the now-familiar Polly-and-Sukey wording. That evidence does not prove that either Polly or Molly was the single original name, so the page presents the common Polly form without treating competing titles as errors.
Children can act out the whole sequence with a toy kettle and cups: place the kettle on an imaginary stove, pour the tea, welcome the visitors and then take it away. Using pretend equipment keeps the action recognizable while avoiding hot water, a real hob or anything breakable.
Common questions
- Who are Polly and Sukey in Polly Put the Kettle On?
- They are the two figures named by the rhyme: Polly is asked to put the kettle on for tea, and Sukey is asked to take it off after the visitors leave. The sources do not identify them as historical people.
- Which came first: Polly Put the Kettle On or Molly Put the Kettle On?
- A tune called “Jenny’s Babee” was printed around 1794, while Molly and Polly kettle titles are documented around 1800. The retrieved evidence does not establish one familiar name as the definitive original.
