FLIPPER - THE OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY

THE OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY

FLIPPER

SONGWRITER: ALAN

COUNTRY: U.S.A.

ALBUM: SEX BOMB BABY

LABEL: DEF AMERICAN

GENRE: children's rhyme

YEAR: 1988

Flipper era uma banda de São Francisco, Califórnia formada em 1979 e continuando de maneira errática até o final da década de 1990. Entre seus membros fundadores estavam membros das bandas Sleepers e Negative Trend.

Em 1984, surgem os discos Blow'n Chunks (ao vivo) e Gone Fishin, seguido por mais um com registros ao vivo, o LP duplo Public Flipper Limited de 1986. Por fim, em 1988, é lançado o Sex Bomb Baby, então último disco da banda, que no final de 1987 havia se separado por causa da trágica morte do lendário Will Shatter, por overdose de heroína no dia 9 de dezembro.

The phrase and title There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly—alternatively, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, or There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, or I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly—is a children's rhyme and song of a kind known as cumulative. The song tells the story of an old woman who swallowed increasingly large animals, each to catch the previously swallowed animal. There are many variations of phrasing in the lyrics, especially for the description of swallowing each animal. The spider and fly are described in each verse, but the other animals are only described when they are introduced. The absurdity stems from the increasingly improbable solutions that only worsen the initial problem and are more likely to cause the woman's death: the logic of swallowing of even more animals of ridiculous sizes without dying, contrasted with the expected, matter-of-fact recounting of her death from swallowing an animal larger than herself, when in fact the swallowing of any animal as a solution was absurd. This song for children appeals to their initial logic that a fly can be swallowed by an old lady. A spider would also be seen as logical and physically possible. As you get to the bird, it slowly becomes clear for the child that it's part of an imaginary scenario leading to a whole horse being swallowed. The last sentence brings the child back to a rational understanding that the old lady is in fact dead of course as physically this is not possible making place for children's amusement and laughter.

The song was written by Rose Bonne (lyrics) and Alan Mills and copyrighted in 1952. At that time it was entitled simply "I Know an Old Lady." A widely distributed version of the song was released on Brunswick Records in 1953, where it was sung by Burl Ives. Ives' rendition appears on his album, Folk Songs, Dramatic and Humorous -- which debuted in late summer, 1953. The 1961 illustrated book by Rose Bonne also indicates that the lyrics are hers, whereas the music was composed by Alan.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.

I don't know why she swallowed that fly,

Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider.

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I don't know why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.

How absurd, to swallow a bird!

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I don't know why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she'll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.

Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I don't know why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she'll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.

What a hog! To swallow a dog!

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I don't know why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a goat.

Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!

She swallowed the goat to catch the dog

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I don't know why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.

I don't know how she swallowed a cow!

She swallowed the cow to catch the goat

She swallowed the goat to catch the dog

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider

That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.

But I don't know why she swallowed that fly

Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse

She's dead, of course.