There was an old man in a tree,

ðeə wɒz ən əʊld mæn ɪn ə tri:/ 

Whose Whiskers were lovely to see;

hu:z ‘wɪzkəs weə ‘lʌvli tə si:/ 

But the birds of the air

bʌt ðə bɜ:dz əv ði eə 

Pluck’d them perfectly bare,

plʌkd ðəm ‘pɜ:fɪktli beə/ 

To make themselves nests in that tree.

tə meɪk ðəm’selvz nests ɪn ðət tri:// 


There was a young lady of Corsica,

ðeə wɒz ə jʌŋ ‘leɪdi əv kɒ’zɪkə/  

Who purchased a little brown saucy-cur;

hu: ‘pɜ:tʃəzd ə ‘lɪtl braʊn ‘sɔ:sicə/ 

Which she fed upon ham

wɪtʃ ʃi fəd ə’pɒn hæm   

And hot raspberry jam,

ənd hɒt ‘rɑ:zbəri jæm/ 

That expensive young lady of Corsica.

ðət ɪks’pensiv jʌŋ ‘leɪdi əv kɒ’zɪkə/


There was an old person of Skye,

ðeə wɒz ən əʊld ‘pːsn əv skaɪə/ 

Who waltz’d with a bluebottle fly;

hu: wɔ:lsd wɪð ə blu:’bɒtl flai/ 

They buzz’d a sweet tune,

ðeɪ bʌzd ə swi:t tju:n/  

To the light of the moon,

tə ðə laɪt əv ðə mu:n/ 

And entranced all the people of Skye.

ənd ‘entrənsɪd ɔ:l ðə ‘pi:pl əv s’kaɪə// 


There was an old man of Dunblane,

ðeə wɒz ən əʊld mæn əv dʌn’bleɪn/  

Who greatly resembled a crane;

hu: greɪtli rɪze’mblɪd ə kreɪn/  

But they said -”Is it wrong,

bʌt ðeɪ sed ɪz ɪt rɒŋ/ 

Since your legs are so long,

sɪns jɔ: legs ɑ: səʊ lɒŋ/ 

To request you won’t stay in Dunblane?” 

tə rɪ’kwest ju: wəʊnt steɪ ɪn dʌn’bleɪn//  

 

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