Nursery Rhymes

There was an Old Lady Rhyme


Nonsense rhyme which aids memory retention.

A favourite Nursery rhyme amongst children whose famous lyrics of "There was an old lady" aid memory retention.

The poem is a relatively modern rhyme and therefore has no origin in history!

The imagery of "There was an old lady" paints a very strong picture which stimulates the imagination whilst emphasising the relative sizes and order of the creatures mentioned.

The lyrics to "There was an old lady" become more incredulous as they progress and there is almost a sense of relief and also astonishment at the startling ending of the story!

"There was an old lady" is perhaps better described as a traditional folksong, the words of which have been set to music and recorded by many various artists.

 

There was an Old Lady song

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and wiggled and tiggled inside her;
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Fancy that to swallow a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog;
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow;
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse...
She's dead, of course!

There was an Old Lady song

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Note: A Rhymes lyrics and the perceived origins of some Nursery Rhymes vary according to location

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