Old Mother Hubbard
Language: English
Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard, To give the poor dog a bone; But when she got there The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none. She went to the baker's To buy him some bread; When she came back The dog was dead! She went to the undertaker's To buy him a coffin; When she came back The dog was laughing. She took a clean dish to get him some tripe; When she came back He was smoking his pipe. She went to the fishmonger's to buy him some fish; When she came back He was licking the dish. She went to the alehouse To get him some beer; When she came back The dog sat in a chair. She went to the tavern For white wine and red; When she came back The dog stood on his head. She went to the fruiterer's To buy him some fruit; When she came back He was playing the flute. She went to the tailor's To buy him a coat; When she came back He was riding a goat. She went to the hatter's To buy him a hat; When she came back He was feeding her cat. She went to the barber's To buy him a wig When she came back He was dancing a jig. She went to the cobbler's To buy him some shoes; When she came back He was reading the news. She went to the sempstress To buy him some linen; When she came back The dog was spinning. She went to the hosier's To buy him some hose; When she came back He was dressed in his clothes. The Dame made a curtsy, The dog made a bow; The Dame said, Your servant; The dog said, Bow-wow. This wonderful dog Was Dame Hubbard's delight, He could read, he could dance, He could sing, he could write; She gave him rich dainties Whenever he fed, And erected this monument When he was dead.
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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Thomas A. Gregg
See also this text set to music by Sandor Harmati.
Text Authorship:
- from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Old Mother Hubbard", first published 1805 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901 - 1947), "Old Mother Hubbard", copyright © 1929 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Thomas A. Gregg
This text was added to the website: 2019-04-24
Line count: 70
Word count: 331