E.E. Cummings was weird.
Actually, that’s an understatement. He was a guy who decided that capital letters were mostly optional and that grammar was something you could just... ignore... if it got in the way of a good feeling. But when he published anybody lived in a pretty how town in 1940, he wasn't just being difficult. He was writing a scathing, beautiful, and deeply rhythmic obituary for the way most people live their lives without even realizing they’re doing it.
If you read it in high school, you probably thought it was a cute nursery rhyme about a guy named "Anybody" and a girl named "Noone." You might have even thought it was sweet.
It isn't. Not really.
Honestly, it's a bit of a tragedy disguised as a song. It’s about the crushing weight of "pretty how" towns—those places where everyone does exactly what’s expected, the seasons change, the bells ring, and nobody actually notices when their neighbor stops breathing. It’s a poem about anonymity.
The Secret Language of Anybody Lived in a Pretty How Town
Most people get stuck on the first stanza. They see the words "pretty how town" and assume "how" is just a filler word. It's not. Cummings is using "how" as a descriptor for a place defined by its routine—a "how" town is a town that cares more about how things are done than who is doing them.
Think about your own neighborhood. Or your office.
In this poem, anybody lived in a pretty how town isn't a vague statement; "Anybody" is the actual name of our protagonist. He’s a guy who "sang his didn’t" and "danced his did." That sounds like gibberish until you realize Cummings is describing a life of total presence. To sing your "didn't" is to find joy even in your failures or the things you didn't manage to achieve. It’s a rebellion against the "someones" and "everyones" who only care about their "reaped their sowing."
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The "someones and everyones" in the poem are the villains. They are the people who "slept their kept." They stayed in their lanes. They did their taxes. They didn't notice Anybody or Noone because they were too busy being "busy."
Why the Syntax Actually Matters (and isn't just a gimmick)
I've talked to English professors who spent thirty years dissecting this one poem. They’ll tell you that Cummings used "syntax scrambling" to mimic the chaos of life.
But there’s a simpler explanation.
When you read "sun moon stars rain," you feel the passage of time. It’s fast. It’s a blur. By stripping away the commas and the formal structure, Cummings forces your brain to experience the relentless, unceasing march of years. You can't stop to catch your breath. Just like in a real town, the kids grow up, they forget to be "small," and they stop noticing the magic of the "anybodys" around them.
It’s kind of heartbreaking.
The kids are the only ones who see what’s happening. Cummings writes that "children guessed" that Noone loved Anybody. But as the kids grew older, they "forgot" their "guess." They became part of the "pretty how" machine. They started caring about "their shouldn't" and "their wouldn't."
The Brutal Truth About the "Noone" and "Anybody" Relationship
There’s this common misconception that the poem is a romantic celebration. People use it in wedding toasts.
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"Noone loved him more by more."
That sounds lovely, right? But look at the capitalization. Or lack thereof. If "Noone" (the person) loved Anybody, that’s one thing. But if no one (the absence of people) loved him, the poem takes on a much darker tone. It suggests that in these cookie-cutter communities, the only person who cares about a non-conformist is another outcast—or literally nobody at all.
When Anybody dies, the town doesn't stop. The "busy folk" just keep going. They bury them "side by side" and the "deep by deep" of the earth takes them back. The bells just keep ringing.
It’s a cycle.
Is E.E. Cummings Still Relevant in 2026?
We live in a digital "pretty how town" now. Instead of bells ringing "up neap" and "floating many bells down," we have notification pings. Instead of "someones and everyones," we have followers and influencers.
The pressure to "sleep your kept" is higher than ever.
We’re all terrified of being an "Anybody." We want to be a "Somebody." But Cummings argues that being a "Somebody" is the trap. The "Somebodies" are the ones who lose their souls to the routine. The "Anybodys" are the ones who actually dance.
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What You Can Learn from a 80-Year-Old Poem
If you’re feeling like a cog in a machine, anybody lived in a pretty how town is a wake-up call. It’s a reminder that:
- Routine is a slow death. If you’re just "sowing your reaped" without ever "singing your didn't," you’re missing the point of being alive.
- Love is a private rebellion. In a world that doesn't care, the bond between two people who "guessed" the truth is the only thing that actually matters.
- Time is moving faster than you think. The repetition of "sun moon stars rain" isn't just poetic—it's a warning. The seasons don't care about your deadlines.
How to Read This Poem Without Getting a Headache
Don't try to translate it into "normal" English. You'll fail.
Instead, read it out loud. Seriously. The poem is a musical composition. Feel the rhythm of "stars rain sun moon." Notice how the "d" sounds in "didn't" and "did" create a percussive beat. Cummings was a painter as much as he was a poet; he wanted the words to look and sound like the things they described.
If you try to map it out logically, you’ll miss the emotion.
It’s like jazz. You don't ask what a trumpet note "means" in a literal sense—you ask how it makes you feel. This poem should make you feel a little bit uncomfortable about how "pretty" and "how" your own town might be.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Reader
- Audit your "Did" and "Didn't." When was the last time you "sang your didn't"—celebrated a risk that didn't pay off or a path you took just because you wanted to?
- Break the rhythm. The people in the poem are trapped by the "dong liberty" of the bells. Find one part of your daily routine that is purely performative and stop doing it.
- Find your "Noone." Cultivate relationships where you are seen as an individual, not just a "someone" filling a role in a community.
- Read more Cummings. If this hit home, check out Tulips and Chimneys. It’s just as chaotic but equally rewarding.
The town stays pretty. The bells keep ringing. But you don't have to be a "someone." You can just be anybody.
Next Steps for Success: To truly grasp the depth of Cummings’ work, start a "commonplace book" where you rewrite his poems by hand. This physical act helps you see the deliberate nature of his "typos" and grammatical shifts. From there, compare his depiction of small-town life to modern social media structures to see how little human nature has actually changed since 1940.