Thirty Days Hath September also sometimes known as “The Days of the Month” is a rhyme used to remember how many days there are in a certain month.
The use of the “Hath” instead of the modern “Has” leads us to think that the origins of this rhyme date back to the 16th century at least. Indeed, a variant of this popular rhyme first appeared in written form in 1577 when William Harrison, the priest referred to it as “Thirty dayes hath Nouember”.
“Thirty Days Hath September” Lyrics
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone.
Which only has but twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-nine in each leap year.
Alternative Versions
The early variation from 1577 is reproduced below:
Thirty dayes hath Nouember,
Aprill, Iune and September;
Twentie and eyght hath February alone,
And all the rest thirty and one,
But in the leape you must adde one.
There are other variations too, for example in “The Little Mother Goose” published in 1912 the lyrics are slightly different:
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one –
Except February, alone,
Which has four and twenty-four,
And every fourth year, one day more.