"Who Is Mother Goose?" lyrics
Natalie Merchant & Chicago Symphony Orchestra Lyrics
"Who is Mother Goose?"
Have you ever heard of Mother Goose?
Mother Goose? Who is Mother Goose? I've never heard of her before
Have you ever heard of Humpty Dumpty or Little Miss Muffet?
Nope
Well, how about Old King Cole?
Who is he?
Are you telling me you've never heard of Jack Be Nimble or Peter Pumpkin Eater?
Nope
- or the Queen of Hearts?
Who are they?
These are all Mother Goose characters from her rhymes
Mother Goose?
Does Mother Goose have wings?
Does she have white feathers and orange feet?
Does she have a long neck like a goose?
No. No long neck, no yellow feet
She's actually a woman
Can she fly like a goose?
You know: some people say she flies on the back of a goose
That's not real
That's impossible!
Well, that's what some people say, but maybe she just pretends to ride on a goose, because she's really good at pretending
She's a writer, and she writes books about the land of make-believe
The land of make-believe?
Nothing has to be real in the land of make-believe!
You are absolutely right. Nothing has to be real
It's the land of imagination where anything can happen
That sounds fun
Everyone loves Mother Goose. She's the most famous poet in the English language
What is a poet?
A poet is a person who loves words
I love words
Then you must be a poet
Now, as I was saying, Mother Goose is the most famous poet in the English language
What is language?
Language is all the words that we have to understand each other and to tell our stories
There are lots of different languages spoken all over the world
Right now, I'm speaking English, which comes from England
Where's England?
It's on the other side of the world
It's a small island and you need to cross a huge sea to get there called "The Atlantic Ocean"
There are whales and sharks in the ocean, and it's full of salt
That's right. Oceans are full of salt
Well, many years ago Mother Goose traveled across the big salty sea with her famous book of rhymes
So, Mother Goose is old?
Mm, very old
How old?
At least 300 years old
That's impossible! No one can be that old
Mother Goose is. At least her spirit is. And do you know what keeps her alive?
Children
Every time a child like you learns one of her rhymes, Mother Goose lives another day
Children just love her
Why do they love her?
Because she's clever and she makes them laugh
Can we meet her too?
Absolutely
Can you teach us some Mother Goose rhymes?
I would love to, because that's the way I can help Mother Goose to live forever
Have you ever heard of Mother Goose?
Mother Goose? Who is Mother Goose? I've never heard of her before
Have you ever heard of Humpty Dumpty or Little Miss Muffet?
Nope
Well, how about Old King Cole?
Who is he?
Are you telling me you've never heard of Jack Be Nimble or Peter Pumpkin Eater?
Nope
- or the Queen of Hearts?
Who are they?
These are all Mother Goose characters from her rhymes
Mother Goose?
Does Mother Goose have wings?
Does she have white feathers and orange feet?
Does she have a long neck like a goose?
No. No long neck, no yellow feet
She's actually a woman
Can she fly like a goose?
You know: some people say she flies on the back of a goose
That's not real
That's impossible!
Well, that's what some people say, but maybe she just pretends to ride on a goose, because she's really good at pretending
She's a writer, and she writes books about the land of make-believe
The land of make-believe?
Nothing has to be real in the land of make-believe!
You are absolutely right. Nothing has to be real
It's the land of imagination where anything can happen
That sounds fun
Everyone loves Mother Goose. She's the most famous poet in the English language
What is a poet?
A poet is a person who loves words
I love words
Then you must be a poet
Now, as I was saying, Mother Goose is the most famous poet in the English language
What is language?
Language is all the words that we have to understand each other and to tell our stories
There are lots of different languages spoken all over the world
Right now, I'm speaking English, which comes from England
Where's England?
It's on the other side of the world
It's a small island and you need to cross a huge sea to get there called "The Atlantic Ocean"
There are whales and sharks in the ocean, and it's full of salt
That's right. Oceans are full of salt
Well, many years ago Mother Goose traveled across the big salty sea with her famous book of rhymes
So, Mother Goose is old?
Mm, very old
How old?
At least 300 years old
That's impossible! No one can be that old
Mother Goose is. At least her spirit is. And do you know what keeps her alive?
Children
Every time a child like you learns one of her rhymes, Mother Goose lives another day
Children just love her
Why do they love her?
Because she's clever and she makes them laugh
Can we meet her too?
Absolutely
Can you teach us some Mother Goose rhymes?
I would love to, because that's the way I can help Mother Goose to live forever
