The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
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legacy / ballad
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Standard Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Song Sheet
Alan Mills
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
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Lyrics:
I know an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly
Perhaps she'll die.
I know an old lady who swallowed a spider
That wriggled and tiggled and jiggled 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 bird.
How absurd! She swallowed a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and tiggled and jiggled inside her
She swallowed the spider ... etc.
I know an old lady who swallowed a cat.
How about that? She swallowed a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird
She swallowed the bird ... etc.
I know an old lady who swallowed a dog.
Oh what a hog! She swallowed a dog!
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat
She swallowed the cat ... etc.
I know an old lady who swallowed a goat.
She opened her throat and down went the goat!
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog
She swallowed the dog ... etc.
I know an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don't know how but she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat
She swallowed the ... etc.
I know and old lady who swallowed a horse.
(
spoken
) She died, of course!
This is a children's rhyme and song of the cumulative type (like Twelve Days of<br> Christmas.<br> The song was written by Rose Bonne (lyrics) and Alan Mills and<br> copyrighted in 1952. At that time it was entitled simply "I Know an Old Lady".<br> A widely distributed version of the song was released on Brunswick Records<br> in 1953, where it was sung by Burl Ives. Ives' rendition appears on his album,<br> Folk Songs, Dramatic and Humorous -- which debuted in late summer, 1953.<br> <br> I probably learned it from Pete Seeger.<br>
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