Nursery rhyme lyrics
Old MacDonald Had a Farm Lyrics
The words to Old MacDonald Had a Farm, with simple actions to do together and a little history for curious grown-ups.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm full lyrics
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O!
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O!
With an oink oink here and an oink oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink oink.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a duck, E-I-E-I-O!
With a quack quack here and a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a sheep, E-I-E-I-O!
With a baa baa here and a baa baa there,
Here a baa, there a baa, everywhere a baa baa.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Traditional, public domain. Many families sing slightly different versions.
Watch our Old MacDonald Had a Farm video
Actions to do together
- Make each animal's noise and movement.
- Let your child choose the next animal.
- Use farm toys or pictures and hold each one up in turn.
What your child learns
- Animal names and sounds
- Memory and sequencing in longer versions
- Taking turns choosing verses
Where does Old MacDonald Had a Farm come from?
Old MacDonald is a traditional cumulative song. The version most people know today took shape in the early 20th century, and earlier farmyard songs with a similar pattern go back much further. Families add any animal they like, so there is no single "correct" set of verses.
Questions parents ask
What animals are in Old MacDonald?
Any you like! Cows, pigs, ducks, sheep, horses, chickens and dogs are popular. Children love adding their own.
What does E-I-E-I-O mean?
It's a nonsense refrain that makes the song catchy and fun to shout together.
