Mary Had a Little Lamb — Nursery Rhyme 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.
History:
The four lines:
Mary had a little lamb
It's fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
were the first four lines of recorded speech. They are the words uttered by Thomas Edison into his new invention -- the phonograph.
The rhyme itself was written by Sarah Josepha in 1830 based upon a real incedent that happened at a schoolhouse.

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Learning from "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" uses 32 lines to create a memorable verse — proof that effective poetry doesn't need to be long. Pay attention to the meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is what makes the rhyme stick in your head.

Songwriters and poets can borrow these patterns. Try writing your own lyrics using the same rhyme scheme and line length as this nursery rhyme. You can also use words from the poem above as starting points — click any word to find rhymes or look up its definition, then build from there.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to Mary Had a Little Lamb?
The lyrics to Mary Had a Little Lamb are: 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. ... Read the full 32-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does Mary Had a Little Lamb have?
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" has 32 lines of verse.

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