The phrase and title There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly—alternatively, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, or There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, or I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly—is a children's rhyme and song of a kind known as cumulative. The song tells the story of an old woman who swallowed increasingly large animals, each to catch the previously swallowed animal. There are many variations of phrasing in the lyrics, especially for the description of swallowing each animal. The spider and fly are described in each verse, but the other animals are only described when they are introduced. The absurdity stems from the increasingly improbable solutions that only worsen the initial problem and are more likely to cause the woman's death: the logic of swallowing of even more animals of preposterous sizes without dying, contrasted with the expected, matter-of-fact recounting of her death from swallowing an animal larger than herself, when in fact the swallowing of any animal as a solution was absurd. This song for children appeals to their initial logic that a fly can be swallowed by an old lady. A spider would also be seen as logical and physically possible. As you get to the bird, it slowly becomes clear for the child that it's part of an imaginary scenario leading to a whole horse being swallowed. The last sentence brings the child back to a rational understanding that the old lady is in fact dead of course as physically this is impossible making place for children's amusement and laughter.
Contents
The song was written by Rose Bonne (lyrics) and Alan Mills and copyrighted in 1952. At that time it was entitled simply "I Know an Old Lady." A widely distributed version of the song was released on Brunswick Records in 1953, where it was sung by Burl Ives. Ives' rendition appears on his album, Folk Songs, Dramatic and Humorous -- which debuted in late summer, 1953. The 1961 illustrated book by Rose Bonne also indicates that the lyrics are hers, whereas the music was composed by Alan Mills.
Lyrics
The following is one form of the lyrics, that are representative of the nature of this cumulative lyric:
In some versions, "perhaps she'll die" is replaced with "don't ask me why." Also, "she died of course" is replaced with "of course, of course, she swallowed a horse," leading to yet another cumulative verse that ends the tale.
Representative renditions
Pete Seeger did a parody of the song as "I know an old lady who swallowed a lie" at a concert at the Sanders Theater in Boston, Ma in 1980. In the song, towards the very end, she coughs up the lie. (SOURCE: CD " Pete Seeger Singalong" 1981. Smithsonian Folkways Records)
On a Sesame Street episode,, the lyrics of that song,were changed to "Perhaps She'll Cry" in order to make the song more tamer for children with Telly singing that repeated refrain including the final line: "She Cried Of Course".