Go Tell Aunt Rhody Lyrics

Go Tell Aunt Rhody is an American folk song and nursery rhyme with roots tracing back to around 1750, telling the simple, slightly melancholy story of a goose that has died in the millpond. It suits preschool and early elementary children, roughly ages 3 to 7, and its minor-leaning, gently repetitive melody has made it a favorite for banjo and fiddle players teaching children their first tunes. Early-childhood educators often use short narrative songs like this because following a small, complete story across just a few verses helps children practice sequencing events and predicting what comes next, both useful pre-reading skills. Its long life in American oral tradition, passed from generation to generation well before it was ever written down, makes it a genuine piece of folk history rather than a composed work. Its plain, memorable melody also makes it an easy first song for children learning to sing along with an instrument. For more on how enduring folk songs like this one connect children to musical heritage, see [Folk Songs for Children: Why Traditional Music Matters](/blog/folk-songs-for-children-why-traditional-music-matters).

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.