The rhyme has varied very little since it was first collected by
James Orchard Halliwell and published in 1842 with the lyrics:
Short version
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday,
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy.[2][3]
The words of a French version of the rhyme were adapted by the
Dada poet
Philippe Soupault in 1921 and published as an account of his own life:
PHILIPPE SOUPAULT dans son lit / né un lundi / baptisé un mardi / marié un mercredi / malade un jeudi / agonisant un vendredi / mort un samedi / enterré un dimanche / c'est la vie de Philippe Soupault[4][5]