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Mary’s Lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go;
He followed her to school one day -
That was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.
And so the Teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near.
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear;
And then he ran to her, and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said - ‘I’m not afraid -
You’ll keep me from all harm.’
‘What makes the lamb love Mary so?’
The eager children cry -
‘O, Mary loves the lamb, you know.’
The Teacher did reply;
‘And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind,
And make them follow at your call,
If you are always kind.’
By Sarah Hale: “Poems for Our Children” (1830)
Shown above is what is believed to be the true and original version of the poem “Mary’s Lamb.” When first published in 1830, it became an immediate success. It was printed on silk handkerchiefs and sold in Boston bookstores. Currier and Ives made a print of Mary and her lamb. Mrs. Hale later set the words to music and published it in her “School Song Book” (1834). The poem was published as a lesson in “The First Eclectic Reader” (1844), by its writer and editor, William Holmes McGuffey, without attribution to Sarah Josepha Hale, and so mistakenly became known as a ‘Mother Goose Rhyme.’ In 1877, Thomas Alva Edison made a phonograph recording, uttering the first ever recording of human speech, as “Mary had a little lamb.”
A variation of the poem exists as a nursery rhyme, shortened to eight lines and titled, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” as shown below.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
By Author Unknown
Another variation of the poem exists as a song, as shown below.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Lyrics:
Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day
school one day, school one day,
It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play,
laugh and play, laugh and play,
it made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
turned it out, turned it out,
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about till Mary did appear.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
“Why does the lamb love Mary so,” the eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.”
The lamb, you know, the lamb, you know,
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,” the teacher did reply.
By Author Unknown
Sarah Josepha Hale (maiden name Buell) was born on 24 October 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire, United States of America. She was a writer and an editor (1837 - 1877) for “Godey’s Lady Book” magazine, a poet, and a book author. She campaigned successfully to have Thanksgiving made into an American national holiday. Sarah Joseph Hale passed on at 90 years of age on 30 April 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go;
He followed her to school one day -
That was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.
And so the Teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near.
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear;
And then he ran to her, and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said - ‘I’m not afraid -
You’ll keep me from all harm.’
‘What makes the lamb love Mary so?’
The eager children cry -
‘O, Mary loves the lamb, you know.’
The Teacher did reply;
‘And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind,
And make them follow at your call,
If you are always kind.’
By Sarah Hale: “Poems for Our Children” (1830)
Shown above is what is believed to be the true and original version of the poem “Mary’s Lamb.” When first published in 1830, it became an immediate success. It was printed on silk handkerchiefs and sold in Boston bookstores. Currier and Ives made a print of Mary and her lamb. Mrs. Hale later set the words to music and published it in her “School Song Book” (1834). The poem was published as a lesson in “The First Eclectic Reader” (1844), by its writer and editor, William Holmes McGuffey, without attribution to Sarah Josepha Hale, and so mistakenly became known as a ‘Mother Goose Rhyme.’ In 1877, Thomas Alva Edison made a phonograph recording, uttering the first ever recording of human speech, as “Mary had a little lamb.”
A variation of the poem exists as a nursery rhyme, shortened to eight lines and titled, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” as shown below.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
By Author Unknown
Another variation of the poem exists as a song, as shown below.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Lyrics:
Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day
school one day, school one day,
It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play,
laugh and play, laugh and play,
it made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
turned it out, turned it out,
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about till Mary did appear.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
“Why does the lamb love Mary so,” the eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.”
The lamb, you know, the lamb, you know,
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,” the teacher did reply.
By Author Unknown
Sarah Josepha Hale (maiden name Buell) was born on 24 October 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire, United States of America. She was a writer and an editor (1837 - 1877) for “Godey’s Lady Book” magazine, a poet, and a book author. She campaigned successfully to have Thanksgiving made into an American national holiday. Sarah Joseph Hale passed on at 90 years of age on 30 April 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
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