Boy and girl at a picnic ponder beverage in a world of paper, ink, bread and cheese

If All the World Were Paper

If all the world were paper,
And all the sea were ink,
If all the trees
Were bread and cheese,
What should we have to drink?

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Posted in All Rhymes, Fantasy & Adventure, Mother Goose Classics, Nature & Seasons, Nonsensical

Tagged bread, cheese, drink, ink, paper, riddle, sea, tree

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Meaning

This rhyme poses an imaginative question that turns the familiar world into a place of paper, ink, bread, and cheese, asking children to consider a practical problem—what would we drink? It blends fantasy with logic, encouraging creative thinking and humor.

Origin

The earliest published version appeared in the 17th century, in Wits Recreations (1640), under the title “Interrogativa Cantilena.” It was later published as a round dance and folk tune in John Playford’s English Dancing Master (1651). The rhyme is related to ancient rhetorical questioning in literature and has connections to religious odes and folk songs across Europe.
Its rhetorical, fantastical question format is very old, seen in many world cultures.
(Sources: Playford 1651, Wits Recreations 1640, Traditional Tune Archive, Wikisource, AllNurseryRhymes)

Time Period

The rhyme was popularized in Britain during the 1600s and included in later nursery rhyme collections and children’s books throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Why It Became Popular

Its strange, yet logical question and simple language made it an easy favorite for learning, recitation, and imaginative play. The rhyme’s flexible format allowed it to be adapted into longer or shorter verses, and even included in dancing and singing games.

First Known Publication

First printed in Wits Recreations (1640), and widely published in English Dancing Master (1651) as a round dance.

Structure and Style

Meter: Iambic tetrameter
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB
Line Count: 4 (classic)
Style Notes: Rhetorical, logical, and imaginative with a musical feel

Themes

Fantasy & Adventure
Nonsense
Imagination
Practicality & Logic
Questioning

Language Notes

The rhyme’s questions use plain imagery (paper, ink, bread, cheese) to highlight absurdity and spark creative thinking. It often inspires children to invent and answer new versions.

Moral or Lesson

Playful ideas often have surprising consequences; imagination and logic can go hand in hand.

Historical or Cultural Notes

The rhyme’s structure and theme may parody grand religious or philosophical poetry, and similar lines are found in Jewish chanted hymns and the Quran. It became a country dance tune in the 17th century and helped inspire other question-based rhymes like “If All the World Were Apple Pie.”

Notable Variants

Multiple verses have been published over time, transforming the world to sand, tobacco, sack (dry wine), or other humorous substitutes; all versions end with an imaginative question.

Appearances in Media or Literature

Featured in classic nursery rhyme books, songbooks, and dance manuals (The Real Mother Goose, The Baby’s Bouquet, Playford’s English Dancing Master), and adapted in educational settings as a logic and creative thinking exercise. Shirley Temple recorded a version of the song by the same name with extra lyrics.

Suggested Activities

Invent-a-World: Encourage kids to reimagine the world (“If all the world were pillows…”) and draw their version.
Logic Game: Talk about the problems and silly results in each version of the rhyme.
Round Dance: Adapt the original dance—have children form a circle and recite verses as they act them out.
Creative Writing: Write new stanzas with other fanciful substitutions.
Group Recitation: Chant as a group, creating musical variations.
Art Project: Craft a “fantasy landscape” inspired by the rhyme’s question.

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If All the World Were Paper

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