Ten Little Indians (Harry Nilsson song)

"Ten Little Indians" is a song written and performed by Harry Nilsson. It was originally released on his 1967 album, Pandemonium Shadow Show. The song is a novelty pop tune loosely based on the children's rhyme "Ten Little Indians" (also known by other titles, including the problematic "Ten Little Niggers," and later "Ten Little Soldiers," and "Ten Little Indians").

Nilsson's version utilizes the rhyme as a counting-down device, but departs significantly from the traditional lyrics in its narrative. Instead of depicting the deaths of the Indians (or other characters, depending on the version), Nilsson's song features increasingly bizarre and surreal reasons for the disappearance of each of the ten Indians, each ending with the line "then there were [number] little Indians."

The departures are typically humorous and absurdist. Examples include one Indian going to buy a newspaper and getting lost, another joining the circus, and another becoming a politician.

The song's lighthearted and whimsical tone stands in contrast to the dark origins of the nursery rhyme. While Nilsson's version avoids the racial slurs and violent themes present in older versions, its connection to the controversial rhyme makes it a subject of discussion regarding cultural sensitivity and historical context.