# Mary Had a Little Lamb

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an American rhyme written by Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830; in 1877 its opening lines became the first words Thomas Edison recorded on the phonograph — the first recording of English verse.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Sarah Josepha Hale |
| First known | 1830 |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mary-had-a-little-lamb/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow.

### Verse 2 (en)

And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
And everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.

### Verse 3 (en)

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.

### Verse 4 (en)

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.

### Verse 5 (en)

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.

### Verse 6 (en)

And waited patiently about,
patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about
till Mary did appear.

### Verse 7 (en)

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
the eager children cry.

### Verse 8 (en)

"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.

## Common questions

**Who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb"?**

The American writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale, who published it on 24 May 1830. It may have been inspired by a real event — a girl who brought her pet lamb to school — and in 1876 a woman named Mary Tyler claimed to be that girl and that a student named John Roulstone wrote the first verses, though no evidence for her account ever surfaced.

**Was this really the first sound recording?**

The first words of this rhyme were what Thomas Edison spoke to test his new phonograph in 1877, making it the first recording of English verse. The original was long lost; a fragment was recovered from an 1878 recording using 3D imaging in 2012.

**Is there a real Mary and a real lamb?**

The story is tied to Sterling, Massachusetts, which keeps a statue and markers to it, and to the Redstone School Mary is said to have attended — a building Henry Ford later moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts. How much of the tale is true remains uncertain.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — Mary Had a Little Lamb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Had_a_Little_Lamb)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1360987