Nursery Rhymes›Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Old MacDonald Had a Farm lyricsOld MacDonald Had a Farm lyrics
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Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Key: G108 BPMGuitar & Piano chords
⬇ Download the chord sheet (PDF)

Old MacDonald Had a Farm Lyrics. One of the most popular children’s songs in the world, teaching the names and sounds of farm animals through a simple, repetitive structure. The song likely evolved from an old British tune, and an early ancestor, ‘In the Fields in Frost and Snow,’ appears in Thomas d’Urfey’s 1706 opera The Kingdom of the Birds, and its simple, repeating structure, adding one new animal and sound each verse, has made it a favorite tool for helping young children build vocabulary and practice memory, one delighted “E-I-E-I-O” at a time. Here you will find the full lyrics, meaning, and chords for guitar and piano.

Verse 1

GOld MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-D7O
GAnd on that farm he had a Ccow, GE-I-E-I-D7O
GWith a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there,
Here a moo-moo, there a moo-moo, everywhere a D7moo-moo,
GOld MacDonald had a farm, CE-I-E-I-GO

Verse 2

GOld MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-D7O
GAnd on that farm he had a Cduck, GE-I-E-I-D7O
GWith a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there,
Here a quack-quack, there a quack-quack, everywhere a D7quack-quack,
GOld MacDonald had a farm, CE-I-E-I-GO

Verse 3

GOld MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-D7O
GAnd on that farm he had a Cpig, GE-I-E-I-D7O
GWith a oink-oink here and a oink-oink there,
Here a oink-oink, there a oink-oink, everywhere a D7oink-oink,
GOld MacDonald had a farm, CE-I-E-I-GO
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Chords — guitar & piano

G
Guitar
DGB
Piano
C
×
Guitar
CEG
Piano
D7
××
Guitar
CDA
Piano
Good to know

What “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” Means

A cheerful American sing-along first collected in the early 1900s. As children name each animal and copy its sound, they build vocabulary, memory and listening skills — all while giggling. Its simple, repeating structure makes it one of the very first songs toddlers can join in and even lead themselves.
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This lullaby is also available as a full handplayed recording.

⬇ Download the full chord sheet (PDF)

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Sources & rights

  • Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
  • Recording and arrangement: real instruments played by hand, no AI music, by Relax In No Time.
  • Chords: written by us for guitar and piano.
  • Translation: our own meaning-for-meaning translation, written for understanding. The sung words stay in the original language.

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