Le vieux MacDonald is the French version of Old MacDonald had a farm, a traditional English song with lyrics dating back to at least the early 18th century.
The story of the song
Old Macdonald Had A Farm is one of the oldest nursery rhymes in English might have been written in 1706 at the latest.
The song was probably written by Thomas D'Urfey for an opera that year before it became a very popular folk song amongst people in the UK, Ireland and Northern America.
The song can be cumulative (similar to Mon âne), with the animal sounds from all the earlier verses added to each subsequent verse.
Farm in the Lorraine region © French Moments
Le vieux MacDonald
Lyrics, music, free download... let's learn more about the popular song:
The lyrics in French
There are several versions of the song in French.
Couplet 1
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
hi ha hi ha ho
Et qu’est-ce qu’il a donc dans sa ferme ?
Hi ha hi ha ho
Il a des poules et des dindons
Il a des chèvres et des cochons
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Couplet 2
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Et qu’est ce qu’il a donc dans sa ferme ?
hi ha hi ha ho
Il a des poules et des dindons
Il a des chèvres et des cochons
Il a des boeufs et des moutons
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Couplet 3
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Et qu’est ce qu’il a donc dans sa ferme ?
Hi ha hi ha ho
Il a des poules et des dindons
Il a des chèvres et des cochons
Il a des boeufs et des moutons
Il a des oies et des pigeons
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Couplet 4
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Et qu’est ce qu’il a donc dans sa ferme ?
Hi ha hi ha ho
Il a des poules et des dindons
Il a des chèvres et des cochons
Il a des boeufs et des moutons
Il a des oies et des pigeons
Il a des biches et des oursons
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Couplet 5
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Et qu’est ce qu’il a donc dans sa ferme ?
Hi ha hi ha ho
Il a des poules et des dindons
Il a des chèvres et des cochons
Il a des boeufs et des moutons
Il a des oies et des pigeons
Il a des biches et des oursons
Des fourmis et des hannetons
Le vieux MacDonald a une ferme
Hi ha hi ha ho
Translation of the lyrics into English
Here is an approximative translation into English:
Verse 1
Old MacDonald has a farm
hi ha hi ha ho
And what does he have on his farm?
Hi ha hi ha ho
He's got chickens and turkeys
He's got goats and pigs
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
Verse 2
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
And what does he have on his farm?
hi ha hi ha ho
He's got chickens and turkeys
He's got goats and pigs
He's got oxen and sheep
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
Verse 3
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
And what does he have on his farm?
Hi ha hi ha ho
He's got chickens and turkeys
He's got goats and pigs
He has oxen and sheep
He's got geese and pigeons
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
Verse 4
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
And what does he have on his farm?
Hi ha hi ha ho
He's got chickens and turkeys
He's got goats and pigs
He has oxen and sheep
He has geese and pigeons
He's got deer and cubs
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
Verse 5
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
And what does he have on his farm?
Hi ha hi ha ho
He's got chickens and turkeys
He's got goats and pigs
He has oxen and sheep
He has geese and pigeons
He has deer and cubs
Ants and beetles
Old MacDonald has a farm
Hi ha hi ha ho
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Dans la ferme à Mathurin
Another French version of the rhyme is called "Dans la ferme à Mathurin" (In Mathurin's Farm).
This version is an excellent way to teach small children the calls of farm animals and their phonetics.
