There Was An Old Woman

Alternative Lyrics & Words

Longer version

There was an old woman,
As I've heard tell,
She went to market
Her eggs for to sell;
She went to market
All on a market day,
And she fell asleep
Upon the King's Highway.

There came by a pedlar
Whose name was Stout,
He cut her petticoats
All round about;
He cut her petticoats
Up to her knees,
Which made the little old woman
To shiver and freeze.

When the little old woman
First did wake,
She began to shiver
And began to shake.
She began to wonder,
She began to cry,
"Lauk a daisy on me, this can't be I!"

"But if it be I,
As I hope it may be,
I have a little dog at home
And he'll know me
If it be I
He will wag his little tail,
And if be not I,
He will loudly bark and wail."

Home went the little woman
All in the dark,
Up got the little dog
And he began to bark.
He began to bark;
So she began to cry,
"Lauk a daisy on me this is none of I."

Short version

There was an old woman,
and what do you think?
She lived upon nothing
but victuals and drink:
Victuals and drink were
the chief of her diet;
And yet this old woman
could never be quiet.