Go Tell Aunt Rhody Lyrics

A traditional American folk song with a melody thought to derive from Jean-Jacques Rousseau's opera Le Devin du Village (1752). The song tells the simple story of an old grey goose and has been a staple of American folk music and children's repertoire for centuries. Best for ages 4–10. Often used as a first song for children learning to play violin, guitar, or piano because of its simple, stepwise melody. The bittersweet narrative (the old goose has died) is also one of the gentlest age-appropriate songs about loss — a quiet companion when families experience the death of a pet or grandparent. For more learning songs that double as first instrument pieces, see [best toddler xylophone](/blog/best-toddler-xylophone).

Go tell Aunt Rhody,
Go tell Aunt Rhody,
Go tell Aunt Rhody,
The old grey goose is dead.

The one she'd been saving,
The one she'd been saving,
The one she'd been saving,
To make a feather bed.

She died in the millpond,
She died in the millpond,
She died in the millpond,
Standing on her head.

The goslings are weeping,
The goslings are weeping,
The goslings are weeping,
Because their mama's dead.