Old MacDonald Had a Farm Lyrics

This traditional American song traces back to around 1917 and has no single known composer, having grown out of earlier folk tunes about farmyard animals before settling into the version sung today. It's a strong match for toddlers and preschoolers, roughly ages 2-6, since the farm setting and repeated "E-I-E-I-O" refrain give children something predictable to hold onto while new animals and their sounds are introduced each verse. Early-childhood educators often use songs built around animal sounds like this one because mimicking a moo, oink, or cluck helps children experiment with a wider range of mouth shapes and vocal sounds, supporting general speech and articulation practice in a low-pressure way. The open-ended verse structure also means caregivers can add unfamiliar animals to expand a child's vocabulary well past the classic barnyard cast. Its century-long popularity across English-speaking countries speaks to how well a simple, expandable format holds up over generations. For more on how animal songs support learning, see [this piece on animal songs and children's brain development](/blog/animal-songs-kids-brain-development).

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O!
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on his farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O!
With an oink oink here and an oink oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink oink.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on his farm he had a duck, E-I-E-I-O!
With a quack quack here and a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!