There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly - Food Songs
This is an old kids’ favorite. We actually learned the ending as, “She died, of course.” But sensitivities as they are today, I have discovered that many parents and teachers prefer the ending my kids learned at daycare: “She’s full, of course.” Either one fits just fine.
Thank you to reader Jill for reminding me of the verse about the goat. I can't believe I forgot the goat!
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider
That wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the 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 wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a dog;
My 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 wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a goat;
She opened her throat and swallowed 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 wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the 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 wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
I know an old lady who swallowed a horse…
She's full of course!!
