Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Written By: The Good and the Beautiful Published On:

Old MacDonald’s farm is one of the most well-known farms around. The noisy animals make the farm a favorite among children. Keep reading to find out more about this song and to download a free printable of the lyrics.

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“Old MacDonald Had a Farm” Lyrics

  • Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    And on his farm he had a cow, EE-I-EE-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, EE-I-EE-I-O.

    Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    And on his farm he had a horse, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    With a neigh-neigh here,
    And a neigh-neigh there,
    Here a neigh, there a neigh,
    Everywhere a neigh-neigh,
    Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O.

    Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    And on his farm he had a duck, EE-I-EE-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, EE-I-EE-I-O.

  • Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    And on his farm he had a pig, EE-I-EE-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, EE-I-EE-I-O.

    Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    And on his farm he had a dog, EE-I-EE-I-O,
    With a ruff-ruff here,
    And a ruff-ruff there,
    Here a ruff, there a ruff,
    Everywhere a ruff-ruff,
    Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O.

Sing along with the barnyard animals in this fun illustrated video!

Story of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

“Old MacDonald” did not have a farm until 1925, when the Sam Patterson Trio released a recording using this name. Before that, the song had several other names and tunes. 

The first version of the song was titled “In the Fields in Frost and Snow” and was used in a 1706 English opera by Thomas d’Urfey. It is unknown whether d’Urfey wrote this version or it was already a traditional song. While his opera was a flop, the song was loved and grew in popularity.

In the 1880s, a version titled “The Farmyard Song” made the rounds. Next, “Father’s Wood I O” was written in 1906, followed by “The Farmyard” in 1908. There was even a 1917 World War I-era version called “Ohio.” Finally, in this version the farmer had a name: Old MacDougal.

The song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” has been translated and loved in many other languages. For example, in Germany “Uncle Fritz Had a Farm,” and in China “Mr. Wang Has a Patch of Land.” 

Today, “Old MacDonald” is often one of the first songs a child learns to sing. It is a fun way for toddlers to learn the names of the animals on the farm and the sounds they make. 

Download our free printable of the lyrics and farm animal puppets to use as you sing along with our fun illustrated video of the song, found on our Kids YouTube channel.

  • Print the free download of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” lyrics and farm animal puppets!
Click Here for FREE Download

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