Mary Had a Little Lamb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Mary Had a Little Lamb" |
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Illustration by William Wallace Denslow
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| Nursery rhyme | |
| Published | May 24, 1830 |
| Songwriter(s) | Sarah Josepha Hale, John Roulstone |
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is a very famous English language nursery rhyme. It was first written in the United States in the 1800s. Many people around the world know this simple and sweet song.
Contents
The Story Behind the Song
The poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was first published on May 24, 1830. A company in Boston called Marsh, Capen & Lyon published it. It is believed that the poem was inspired by a real event.
There are different ideas about who wrote the poem. Some people think that John Roulstone wrote the first four lines. They believe that Sarah Josepha Hale then wrote the rest of the poem. Other people say that Sarah Josepha Hale wrote the whole poem herself.
The story goes that a young girl named Mary Sawyer had a pet lamb. One day, her brother suggested she take the lamb to school. As you can imagine, the lamb caused quite a stir! Mary remembered what happened: "A young man named John Roulstone was visiting the school that morning. He was very amused by the lamb's visit. The next day, he rode to the schoolhouse. He gave me a piece of paper with the first three parts of the poem written on it."
Mary Sawyer's house was in Sterling, Massachusetts. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in 2007. Today, a statue of Mary's Little Lamb stands in the center of the town. The Redstone School, which was built in 1798, was later bought by Henry Ford. He moved it to the property of Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
The Words of the Song
In the 1830s, a musician named Lowell Mason added a tune to the nursery rhyme. He also added repeated words to make it a song.
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Whose fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day
He 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,
He waited patiently about,
ly about, ly about,
He 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 cried.
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
lamb, you know," lamb, you know,"
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
The teacher did reply.
How the Song Became Famous
This rhyme holds a special place in history. It was the very first sound recorded by Thomas Edison. He used his new invention, the phonograph, in 1877. This was the first time anyone had ever recorded spoken words! In 1927, Edison recorded it again, and that recording still exists. An even earlier recording from 1878 was found in 2012 using special 3D imaging tools.
Many musicians have also recorded "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Blues artists Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan both made their own blues versions. Paul McCartney also released a version of the song in 1972. He added his own music to the lyrics. The song was a popular hit in Britain.
Creative Uses of the Music
- In South Korea, there is a special road that plays "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Grooves are cut into the ground. When cars drive over them, they create the song's melody. This helps drivers stay awake and alert. It took four days to build this musical road. You can find it near Anyang, Gyeonggi.
In Popular Culture
The song "Mary Had a Little Lamb" has been used in many children's shows and videos:
- Kidsongs: A Day at Old MacDonald's Farm
- Wee Sing: Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies
- Wee Sing: King Cole's Party
- Wee Sing: Nursery Rhymes
- Barney episodes and videos
- Richard Scarry's Best Sing-Along Mother Goose Ever
- Blue's Clues episode "Tickety's Favorite Nursery Rhyme"
- Teletubbies episode "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
- Rock 'N Learn: Nursery Rhymes
- Sesame Street: "Kids' Favorite Songs 2 (DVD and CD Soundtrack)"
- The Wiggles: Pop Go The Wiggles!
See also
In Spanish: Mary Had a Little Lamb para niños
