William Wallace Denslow's illustrations for Mary had a little lamb, from a 1901 edition of Mother Goose

Mary and lamb at school, according to Denslow

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is a nursery rhyme of 19th century American origin. Image File history File links Mary_had_a_little_lamb_1_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... Image File history File links Mary_had_a_little_lamb_1_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... William Wallace Denslow Copyright notice from Denslows Mother Goose of 1901 - note the use of the word, Rex even at that date William Wallace Denslow (May 5, 1856–March 29, 1915) was an illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially his... A page from a late 17th century handwritten and illustrated version of Charles Perraults Contes de ma mère lOye (Mother Goose Tales) depicting Puss in Boots. ... Image File history File links Mary_had_a_little_lamb_2_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... Image File history File links Mary_had_a_little_lamb_2_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Original text

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 it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
The eager children cry;
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
The teacher did reply.

Background

The Redstone School, now in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is believed to be the schoolhouse mentioned in the nursery rhyme.

The nursery rhyme was first published as an original poem by Sarah Hale on May 24, 1830, and was inspired by an actual incident. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 491 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by Dudesleeper. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 491 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by Dudesleeper. ... Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. ... Sarah Josepha Hale (October 24, 1788 - April 30, 1879) was an American writer. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

As a girl, Mary Sawyer (later Mrs. Mary Tyler) kept a pet lamb, which she took to school one day at the suggestion of her brother. A commotion naturally ensued. Mary recalled:

Inside the schoolhouse.

"Visiting school that morning was a young man by the name of John Roulstone, a nephew of the Reverend Lemuel Capen, who was then settled in Sterling. It was the custom then for students to prepare for college with ministers, and for this purpose Mr. Roulstone was studying with his uncle. The young man was very much pleased with the incident of the lamb; and the next day he rode across the fields on horseback to the little old schoolhouse and handed me a slip of paper which had written upon it the three original stanzas of the poem..."^[1]

There are two competing theories on the origin of this poem. One holds that Roulstone wrote the first four lines and that the final twelve lines, more moralistic and much less childlike than the first, were composed by Sarah Hale; the other is that Hale was responsible for the entire poem. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 355 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by Dudesleeper. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 355 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by Dudesleeper. ... Sterling is a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 7,257. ... Sarah Josepha Hale (October 24, 1788 - April 30, 1879) was an American writer. ...

Until recently, Mary Sawyer's house could still be visited in Sterling, Massachusetts; however, the house was destroyed by fire on August 12, 2007.^[2] A statue representing Mary's Little Lamb stands in the town center. The Redstone School, which was built in 1798, was purchased by Henry Ford and relocated to Sudbury, Massachusetts. It now sits on the grounds of Longfellow's Wayside Inn. Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. ... The Wayside Inn The Wayside Inn is an historic landmark inn located in Sudbury, Massachusetts in the USA. The Wayside Inn is still in operation, offering a high-quality restaurant, historically accurate guest rooms, and hosting for small receptions. ...

Song

Lowell Mason set the nursery rhyme to a melody in the 1830s, adding repetition in the verses: Portrait of Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (1792-1872) was a leading figure in American church music, the composer of over 1600 hymns, many of which are often sung today. ... // Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Evolutionary theorist Charles Darwins expedition on the HMS Beagle. ...

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.

Other versions/uses

• Thomas Edison recited the first stanza of this poem to test his invention of the phonograph in 1877, making this the first audio recording to be successfully made and played back. In 1923, Edison's friend Henry Ford moved a building to the grounds of the Wayside Inn from Sterling, Massachusetts, which he believed was the original schoolhouse mentioned in this poem.
• Paul McCartney and Wings released a version of the song, with a new melody by McCartney, as a single in 1972.
• British Glam-rock band Slade used a reference to this rhyme on their song "Did yer mama ever tell ya".
• Nu-metal band KoRn also included a part of this rhyme in their song "Shoots and Ladders".
• Blues artist Buddy Guy combined it with elements from other nursery school rhymes. This version of the song was later covered by fellow bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan.
• The alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins included a variation of this nursery rhyme in their song X.Y.U. from their album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, with the lines "Mary had a little lamb/Her face was white as snow/And everywhere that Mary went/I was sure to go/Now Mary's got a problem/And Mary's not a stupid girl/Mary's got some deep shit/Mary does not forget..."
• Mark Alburger's "Mary Variations" (1985) transform the tune into a Chinese pentatonic scale, an Indian raga, the Dies Irae, a medieval isorhythm, "Sumer Is Icumen In", and the music of Claudio Monteverdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Scott Joplin, Igor Stravinsky, 12-bar blues, Sergei Prokofiev, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, Olivier Messiaen, John Cage, Terry Riley, Sting, and John Barry.
• The house-rap group SNAP recorded in the 1990s a song called "Mary Had a Little Boy".
• In late 2006, rock group Evanescence played with the nursery rhyme in their song "Lose Control", with the lyrics "Mary had a lamb/His eyes black as coal/If we play very quiet, my lamb/Mary never has to know".
• In recent science fiction, the rhyme has been used as an archetypal mantra against telepathy, featured in Babylon 5 and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Focusing on the rhyme helps shield one's thoughts from intrusion. Also, a modified version was used as a passphrase in Racing Mars, an episode of Babylon 5: "Lyta had a little Vorlon/her skin was pale as snow./Everywhere that Lyta went/the Vorlon was sure to go."
• In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Dawn" first aired in 2003, Commander Tucker used the poem to distract an enemy alien,
• Also crude versions have been created in light of current affairs such as: "Mary had a little lamb, And his name was Ralph, Now he's burning in the field, 'cos of foot and mouth."
• In 2002 Jordan Rudess (known of Dream Theater), made a version of Mary had a little Lamb under the name Lamb Chops. In this version no lyrics are included. the part is completely played on keyboards.
• Various jokes have been made referring to "having" (i.e., eating) a little lamb as part of a meal; for Example, "Mary ate a little lamb.", and "Mary had a little lamb, bell peppers and tomatoes skewered with an onion sliced and broccoli with potatoes" ^[3].
• Also, "Mary had a little lamb/She also had a bear/I've often seen her little lamb/But I've never seen her bare!"
• The Histeria! episode "Writers of the Purple Prose" featured a poem titled Mary Had a Little Lamb 2000, in which Mary (played by Susanna Susquahanna) has her lamb cloned, lampooning the controversy of Dolly the Sheep.
• The Barmy Army, devoted fans of the English cricket team, often mock Australian cricketers and cricket fans by singing the words of the Australian national anthem to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and vice-versa.
• Another version concerns Mary's yellow canary. ^[4]
• In the film Horse Feathers, Chico Marx plays a lively piano number called "Collegiate", which he interlaces with riffs from "Dixie" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
• A popular version among the Lisp community says "Mary had a little lambda/Its syntax white as snow/And every program Mary wrote/She wrote in Lisp, you know"^[5]

“Edison” redirects here. ... “Tonearm” redirects here. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... The Wayside Inn The Wayside Inn is an historic landmark inn located in Sudbury, Massachusetts in the USA. The Wayside Inn is still in operation, offering a high-quality restaurant, historically accurate guest rooms, and hosting for small receptions. ... Sterling is a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 7,257. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... Wings was a rock music band led by Paul McCartney and formed in August 1971, shortly after the breakup of The Beatles. ... Wings version of the traditional nursery rhyme, recorded, according to Paul McCartney, in response to the BBC ban on their previous single, the political Give Ireland Back to the Irish. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the band. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ... The Smashing Pumpkins (circa 1995) left to right: James Iha, DArcy, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. ... Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (also shortened to Mellon Collie or abbreviated to MCIS) is a double CD and triple LP that was released on October 24, 1995 by The Smashing Pumpkins through Virgin Records. ... Mary may refer to: // Mary (mother of Jesus), the mother of Jesus of Nazareth Blessed Virgin Mary, the Catholic and Orthodox conception of the mother of Christ See also Islamic view of Virgin Mary Mary Magdalene, devoted disciple of Jesus Mary Salome (disciple), mother of apostles James and John Mary... In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. ... A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave. ... Raga (rāg /राग (Hindi), raga (anglicised from rāgaḥ/रागः (Sanskrit)) or rāgam /ராகம் (Tamil)) are the melodic modes used in Indian classical music. ... For other uses, see Dies Irae (disambiguation). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Isorhythm (iso or same) consists of an order of durations or rhythms, talea (cutting, plural taleae), which is repeated within a tenor melody whose pitch content or series, color (repetition), varied in the number of members from the talea. ... Sumer Is Icumen In is a traditional English round, and possibly the oldest such example of counterpoint in existence. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (born between June 1867 – January 1868[1]; died April 1, 1917) was an American musician and composer of ragtime music. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... (Redirected from 12 bar blues) Twelve bar blues is a typical blues chord progression, taking twelve 4/4 bars to the verse. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofijev; April 27 (April 151 O.S.), 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian and Soviet composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer of concert and film music, as well as an accomplished pianist. ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Olivier Messiaen It has been suggested that List of students of Olivier Messiaen be merged into this article or section. ... For the Mortal Kombat character, see Johnny Cage. ... Terry Riley – (Portrait by Betty Freeman) Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school. ... This article is about the musician. ... People called John Barry include: John Barry (1745-1803), an officer in the Continental Navy. ... Look up Snap in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Evanescence is a Grammy Award-winning American alternative rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1998 by singer Amy Lee and former guitarist Ben Moody. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Telepathy, from the Greek τῆλε, tele, remote; and πάθεια, patheia, to be effected by, describes the hypothetical transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... “SMAC” redirects here. ... Racing Mars is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Histeria! was an animated television series of the late-1990s, created by Tom Ruegger (who also created Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Pinky and the Brain) at Warner Bros. ... Susanna Susquahanna is a fictional character created for the Warner Bros. ... Dolly (July 5, 1996 – February 14, 2003), a ewe, was the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell. ... The Barmy Army chanting at the Sydney Cricket Ground The Barmy Army is an organised group of cricket fans which organises touring parties of its members to follow the English cricket team on all of its overseas tours. ... The logo of the England Cricket Team which shows the three Lions of England below a five-pointed crown The England cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales, operating under the auspices of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). ... The National Anthem booth at the 2005 Floriade, Canberra - on the J. Verbeeck fairground organ. ... One Song to the Tune of Another was the first game played on the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game Im Sorry I Havent A Clue and is still almost always played every other episode. ... Horse Feathers (1932) was the fourth Marx Brothers film. ... Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. ... Sheet music cover, c. ... “LISP” redirects here. ...

Media

Image File history File links Mary_Had_a_Little_Lamb. ... Image File history File links Crazytales-soundtest. ...

References