Miss Polly Had a Dolly is a ditty about a little girl who had a poor doll and calls the doctor to give her toy some medical attention, who announces his arrival at the house with a firm bang on the door.
A fun and quirky rhyme, it appeals to children who love to role play with teddies and dollies, with lots of accompanying hand gestures to accompany the lyrics, and teaches them to recall the rhyme by using the built-in rhythm repetitions.
The rhyme appears to have been around for a century or more, but nothing is known about its origins, creating a real sense of mystery that helps to keep it popular in modern times. We do know that it’s believed to have been written in the late 19th century or the early 20th century but there are no records about the composer or how it came about.
Miss Polly Had a Dolly Lyrics
Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick.
So she phoned for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick.
The doctor came with his bag and his hat,
And knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.
He looked at the dolly and shook his head,
And said “Miss Polly put her straight to bed.
He wrote a paper for a pill, pill, pill.
I’ll be back in the morning with the bill, bill, bill.
Miss Polly Had a Dolly Music Sheet
