There Was an Old Woman
The market-day tale of an old woman who couldn't recognise herself
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Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
There was an old woman
As I've heard tell,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
She went to market
Her eggs for to sell,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
She went to market all on a market day,
She fell asleep on the King's highway,
Fol, de rol de lol, lol, lol, lol, lol,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol.
Then there came a peddler
Whose name was Stout,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
He cut her petticoat all 'round about,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
He cut her petticoat up on the knees,
Which made the little woman shiver and freeze,
Fol, de rol de lol, lol, lol, lol, lol,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol.
And when this old woman
Began to wake,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
She began to shiver, she began to shake,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
She began to wander, she began to cry;
Oh dearie me! This can never be I.
Fol, de rol de lol, lol, lol, lol, lol,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol.
But if it be I
As I hope it may be,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
I've a dog at home
That I'm sure knows me,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
And if it be I he will wag his tail,
And if it's not I he will bark and wail,
Fol, de rol de lol, lol, lol, lol, lol,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol.
Home went the old woman
All in the dark,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
Up got her dog and began to bark,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol;
He began to bark, she began to cry,
Dearie me dear! This is none of I.
Fol, de rol de lol, lol, lol, lol, lol,
Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
"There Was an Old Woman (As I've Heard Tell)" is an old English folk song and nursery rhyme with a delightful comic premise: a woman falls asleep at market, a passing peddler cuts her petticoat short while she sleeps, and when she wakes she no longer recognises herself. She goes home, and her own dog barks at her, confirming her fear that she has somehow ceased to be herself.
The song is an early example of the identity-confusion story, a comic scenario that appears across folklore traditions. The repeated refrain — "Fol, lol, diddle diddle, dol" — is a piece of musical nonsense typical of old English folk songs, serving as a rhythmic filler that gives the song its characteristic rolling momentum.
Versions of this rhyme appear in collections dating back to the seventeenth century, and it remained popular in oral tradition well into the twentieth. The melody here is traditional, and the arrangement stays close to the folk character of the original, letting the absurdity of the story speak for itself.
