I'm a little teapot

I have a running argument with Mrs Teapot about this at regular intervals, but it appears that there are two different versions of the nursery rhyme 'I'm a little teapot' depending on which side of the Atlantic you happen to reside on. According to wikipedia the two different versions are as follows:

UK

I'm a little teapot, short and stout

Here's my handle, here's my spout.

When the kettle's boiling, hear me shout.

Tip me up and pour me out.

This should apparently be sung with a 9-7-9-7 rhythm.

US

I'm a little teapot, short and stout

Here is my handle, here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up then I shout.

Tip me over and pour me out.

And this should be sung with a 9-9-9-8 rhythm.

I can't seem to find a definitive answer as to which is the correct version, but I'm pretty sure that it was written by the English and therefore should not be changed!! Quite what the Americans are doing singing about teapots anyway is beyond me, considering they don't know how to make a proper cup of tea. Maybe they should have changed the song to 'I'm a little coffee pot'.

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