I had a little Beetle, so that Beetle was his name

And I called him Alexander and he answered just the same



And I put him in a matchbox and I kept him all the day

But Nanny let my Beetle out, Nanny let my Beetle out

She went and let my Beetle out, and Beetle ran away



She said she didn't mean it and I never said she did

She said she wanted matches and she just took off the lid



She said I mustn't worry and I really mustn't mind

That there's lots and lots of beetles that she's certain we could find



She said I mustn't worry, but it's difficult to catch

An excited sort of beetle you've mistaken for a match



If we looked in all the places that a beetle might be near

And we made the kind of noises that a beetle likes to hear



And I heard a kind of something and I gave a sort of shout

It was a beetle house and Alexander Beetle coming out



It was Alexander Beetle, I'm as certain as can be

And he had a kind of look as though he thought it might be me



And he had a kind of look as though he thought he ought to say

I'm really very sorry that I tried to run away



And Nanny's very sorry too, 'cause you know what she did

She's writing Alexander very blackly on the lid



So Nan and me are friends because it's difficult to catch

An excited sort of beetle you've mistaken for a match