Song Search

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

by Alan Mills

on Animals, Vol.1 (1956), Folk Songs for Young Folk Volume 1. Animals (1956) Folk Songs and Minstrelsy (1962)

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed a fly
I guess she'll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a spider
That wriggled and wriggled and tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
But I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a bird
Now, how absurd to swallow a bird
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and wriggled and tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
But I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a cat
Now, fancy that--to swallow a cat
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird
Swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and wriggled and tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
But I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a dog
My, what a hog to swallow a dog
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat
Swallowed the cat to catch the bird
Swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and wriggled and tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
But I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a goat
She just opened her throat and in walked the goat
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog
Swallowed the dog to catch the cat
Swallowed the cat to catch the bird
Swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and wriggled and tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
But I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die

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
Swallowed the goat to catch the dog
Swallowed the dog to catch the cat
Swallowed the cat to catch the bird
Swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and wriggled and tickled inside her
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly
But I don't know why she swallowed the fly
I guess she'll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse
She died, of course