There was a little girl, who had a little curl

Now, the only part that applies to Eliza is the little girl, who had a little curl who was very good indeed. Even when Eliza is stubborn and full of 1 year old mischief, she isn’t horrid. But the rest of the poem is funny… especially how it ends with a spank. What?!

There Was a Little Girl
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good
She was very good indeed,
And when she was bad she was horrid.

One day she went upstairs,
When her parents, unawares,
In the kitchen were occupied with meals,
And she stood upon her head
In her little trundle-bed,
And then began hooraying with her heels.

Her mother heard the noise,
And she thought it was the boys
A-playing at a combat in the attic;
But when she climbed the stair,
And found Jemima there,
She took and she did spank her most emphatic.