Lyrics The following is one version of the lyrics to demonstrate the song's cumulative nature: There 'was' an old tree that caught the sun, I don't know why it caught the sun; my oh my what had it done -a leaf falls as one! There 'was' an old tree that fell a leaf; I don't know how it fell a leaf; But it fell the leafs that fed the tree, the leafs of tree that caught the sun; my oh my what had it done, -another leaf falls as one! There 'was' an old hive of leafcutter ants, that found a tree of leafs thats spent; I don't know how those found that tree, but it found the tree that fell those leafs; those leafs of sun, caught and free; my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls as one! There 'was' an old village that swallowed those ants, I don't know why they swallowed those ants, but they swallowed those ants that ate the leafs, the leafs of tree; those leafs of sun; Caught and free, Each and every one my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls one! There 'was' an old village that swallowed some spiders That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside 'em; 'They' swallowed the spiders that caught the ants; The leafcutter ants that ate the leafs, the leafs of tree that caught the sun; my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls as one! There 'was' an old village that swallowed some birds; How absurd to swallow those birds! 'They' swallowed those birds that caught the spiders That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside 'em, 'They' swallowed the spiders that caught the ants, that ate the leafs that caught the sun My oh my what had it done -another leaf falls one! There 'was' an old village that swallowed some cats; Fancy that to swallow those cats! They swallowed those cats that caught the birds, They swallowed those birds that caught the spiders That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside 'em, They swallowed the spiders that caught the ants; I don't know why they swallowed those ants, those ant that ate those leafs of tree that caught the sun Spent and free each and every one; my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls one! There 'was' an old village that swallowed some dogs; What a hog to swallow those dogs! They swallowed the dogs that caught the cats, They swallowed the cats that caught the birds, They swallowed the birds that caught the spiders That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside 'em, They swallowed the spiders that caught the ants; I don't know why they swallowed those ants that ate the leaf that caught the sun, my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls down! There was an old village that swallowed some goats; Just opened their throats and swallowed some goats! They swallowed the goats that caught the dogs, They swallowed the dogs that caught the cats, They swallowed those cats that caught the birds, They swallowed the birds that caught the spiders That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside 'em, They swallowed the spiders that caught the ants; I don't know why they swallowed those ants that ate the leaf that caught the sun, my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls as one! There was an old village that swallowed a cow; I don't know how they swallowed some cow! They swallowed a cow that caught the goats, They swallowed the goats that caught the dogs, They swallowed the dogs that caught the cats, They swallowed the cats that caught the birds, They swallowed the birds that caught the spiders That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside 'em, They swallowed the spider that caught the ants; I don't know why they swallowed those ants that ate the leafs that caught the sun; my oh my what had it done - another leaf falls as one! ……