“Mary and her little lamb”, the American nursery song of the nineteenth century was the first one to be recorded by Thomas A. Edison in his phonograph in 1877. It’s based on the poem by Sara J. Hale (1830).
It was possibly inspired by an actual incident as described in one of Hale’s biographies:
“Sarah began teaching young boys and girls in a small school not far from her home [in Newport, New Hampshire]…It was at this small school that the incident involving ‘Mary’s Lamb’ is reputed to have taken place. Sarah was surprised one morning to see one of her students, a girl named Mary, enter the classroom followed by her pet lamb. The visitor was far too distracting to be permitted to remain in the building and so Sarah ‘turned him out.’ The lamb stayed nearby till school was dismissed and then ran up to Mary looking for attention and protection. The other youngsters wanted to know why the lamb loved Mary so much and their teacher explained it was because Mary loved her pet. Then Sarah used the incident to get a moral across to the class:
And you each gentle animal,
In confidence may bind,
And make them answer to your call,
If you are always kind.”
This traditional nursery poem has been the first in which our students of year 2 have come across with the Past Simple tense!
Now listen to the song and enjoy!!
Mary had a little lamb by Muffins Family
