"I Know an Old Lady" is a song about an old lady who swallows a fly, followed by a series of other creatures that she swallows to catch the fly (and subsequent creatures), but the singer does not know why she swallowed a fly.
On Sesame Street, José Feliciano sang the song with a group of kids in Episode 0763. Pete Seeger also sang it with Oscar and the kids on the 1974 album, Pete Seeger & Brother Kirk Visit Sesame Street; Oscar's favorite part of the song is the part in which the old lady dies. Bob, Linda, and Telly Monster later performed the song in Episode 1495 (substituting the dying part with "crying"), and Buffy sings it while staying in Oscar's trash can in Episode 1553.
This song was sung by Judy Collins in episode 205 of The Muppet Show, with a silhouette of an old lady who appeared to do what the song says. Commentary was provided by Statler and Waldorf. After the song, and after making their decision, Waldorf notes that he swallowed his gum, and Statler tells him "How very dumb to swallow your gum."
A variation of this song, "There Was an Old Pirate," was sung by Mad Monty in the Muppet Treasure Island sing-along video, using shadow puppets (provided by Bad Polly).
The song had previously been performed on Sam and Friends, utilizing a recording by Phil Harris. While a transcription of the record was made by Jim Henson in September 1955, the only confirmed usage of it was for the November 26, 1958 broadcast.[1]
Performances[]
| Picture | Description |
|---|---|
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Sam and Friends (1958) |
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Sesame Street episode 0140 (1970) Performed by Pete Seeger with Oscar the Grouch |
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Sesame Street episode 0763 (1975) Performed by José Feliciano and the kids. |
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Pete Seeger & Brother Kirk Visit Sesame Street (1974) Performed by Pete Seeger with Oscar the Grouch and the kids |
 |
The Muppet Show episode 205 (1978) Performed by Judy Collins |
 |
Sesame Street episode 1495 (1981) Performed as "I Know a Cute Monster" by Bob, Linda, Jim, Telly and the kids. |
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Sesame Street episode 1553 (1981) Performed by Buffy. |
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Muppet Sing Alongs: Muppet Treasure Island (1996) Performed as "There Was an Old Pirate" by Mad Monty. |
Video releases[]
- Children's Songs and Stories (1985)