There Was an Old Woman Who Lived Under a Hill Lyrics
Four lines, one joke: an old woman lived under a hill, and if she hasn't moved, she lives there still. It is one of the shortest rhymes in the Mother Goose books and a great first rhyme for little ones to memorize.
There Was an Old Woman Who Lived Under a Hill
There was an old woman
Lived under a hill;
And if she's not gone,
She lives there still.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/there-was-an-old-woman-who-lived-under-a-hill/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 5 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| There was an old woman lived under a hill | Make a hill shape with your arms and crouch underneath. |
| And if she's not gone, she lives there still | Shrug and smile, then point down under the hill. |
What Does There Was an Old Woman Who Lived Under a Hill Mean?
The humor is in the obvious ending: if she has not left, of course she is still there. It is a gentle introduction to the idea of logic and to rhymes that play with the listener. Children often ask where she went, which is a good starting point for making up the rest of her story.
History and Origin
This tiny rhyme has been printed in nursery collections since at least the 1800s and is one of several "There was an old woman" rhymes, alongside the one who lived in a shoe and the one tossed up in a basket.
Learning Activities
- Hill house: build a hill from a blanket over cushions and put a toy old woman underneath.
- What happens next: make up a second verse about what she does all day under the hill.
- Memory start: because it is only four lines, it is ideal for a first rhyme to learn by heart.