There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is an amusing nursery rhyme that is designed to entertain with its absurdity.
The version that most people know today was created in 1952 and copyrighted by Rose Bonne and Alan Mills (a folk artist). However, the rhyme had been circulating for several years prior to this, with documented proof dating back to at least 1943.
Starting with a short story about an old lady who swallowed a fly, the nursery rhyme repeats the verse several times. Every time the verse is repeated it becomes slightly longer due to extra liens being added. This is known as a “cumulative” and can really test memory! Another example of a cumulative rhyme is the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Despite the nonsensical narrative, there is an overarching moral to this tale: sometimes, trying to solve something by yourself isn’t the best course of action!
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Lyrics
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 jiggled and tickled 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
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled 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 cat;
Fancy that! She swallowed a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled 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 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
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled 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 goat;
She just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!
She swallowed the goat 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
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled 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 cow;
I don’t know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat 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
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’s dead
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse;
…She’s dead, of course!
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Music Sheet
