Lyrics Burl Ives – I Know An Old Lady

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

I know an old lady who swallowed a spider

I know 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 the fly
I guess she’ll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a cat
Imagine that, to swallow 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 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
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 know an old lady who swallowed a goat
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 the fly
I guess she’ll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a cow
I wonder 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 the fly
I guess she’ll die

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse
She’s dead, of course