# Old MacDonald Crisis!!! What does the goat say? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480 "2006-05-05T01:12:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/1 "2006-05-05T01:12:14Z")
I need help. My 15 month old thinks her mommy’s an idiot. The chicken says “Cluck-cluck” The kitty says “Meow!” The doggy says “Woof-woof!” The cow says “MOOOOooooo!” The rooster says “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” The sheep says “Baaaaaa” The pig says “Oink-oink-oink!” The horse says “Neiiiiigh!” What do goats say? (I really must get out of the house more.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/2 "2006-05-05T01:15:01Z")
I believe it is also “Baaaa.” ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/3 "2006-05-05T01:19:09Z")
You can make this distinct from the sheep by saying “meh-eh-eh-eh” and stuttering the last syllable. I can’t really explain it other than to tell you to bleat. You’ll know when you’ve got it right because the kid will fall over giggling at the face you have to make. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/4 "2006-05-05T02:08:16Z")
Another vote for “ma-a-a-a” (pronounced as in “ma-a-a-a-a-ashed potatoes.”) (Or we could just ask the official SDMB goat. Who had him last, anyway?) ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/5 "2006-05-05T02:15:02Z")
Yup, meh-eh-eh-eh. (that’s more of the imitation of the sound, for notation I might go with the baaaa though) \ My mother was sitting in the backeat with my oldest son when he was about a year old on a road trip. She was flipping through an animal book keeping occupied doing the “What does a cow say? Mooo.” Then she flipped the page and said “What does a rabbit say?..” Silence ensued as my wife and I exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter, and asking “Yeah, GrandMaw, what does a rabbit say?” -rainy ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/6 "2006-05-05T02:25:07Z")
[QUOTE=rainy] Then she flipped the page and said “What does a rabbit say?..” Silence ensued as my wife and I exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter, and asking “Yeah, GrandMaw, what does a rabbit say?” [/QUOTE] “I knew I shoulda taken dat left toin at Albuquerque!” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/7 "2006-05-05T02:25:59Z")
You could also try “bleat, bleat, bleat.” I know that’s not really an onomatopoeia but neithers is “cluck, cluck, cluck.” ---
**Author:** ![Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Tess\_of\_the\_Derbyville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess_of_the_Derbyville)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/8 "2006-05-05T02:31:42Z")
Ok, you city slickers - the goat goes _na-a-a._ Tess Farmer’s daughter and former childrens librarian ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/9 "2006-05-05T02:49:11Z")
[QUOTE=Tess of the Derbyville] Ok, you city slickers [/QUOTE] Hold on there with the name-calling! Speaking as a person raised in rural Georgia with a mother who farmed registered Toggenburg goats, I’ll give some credance to your na-a-a one of a goat’s vocalizations, usually a forlorn or weary one - heard it many times delivering kids. The meh-eh-eh I think is the more common, everyday vocalization, however. -rainy ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/10 "2006-05-05T03:01:53Z")
Just make sure you don’t say “meh.” That just sounds like the goat is unimpressed. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/11 "2006-05-05T03:28:40Z")
[QUOTE=Tess of the Derbyville] Ok, you city slickers - the goat goes _na-a-a._ Tess Farmer’s daughter and former childrens librarian [/QUOTE] What if you have a goat that goes “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye”? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/12 "2006-05-05T06:29:22Z")
Trip trap trip trap. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/13 "2006-05-05T06:36:54Z")
The goat goes, “Cite!” ---
**Author:** ![Tappi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@Tappi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tappi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/14 "2006-05-05T09:21:07Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] You could also try “bleat, bleat, bleat.” I know that’s not really an onomatopoeia but neithers is “cluck, cluck, cluck.” [/QUOTE] I may be a no good city slicker (to some degree at least) but isn’t “cluck, cluck, cluck” at least slightly onomatopoeic? If I were asked to do a chicken impression, which granted isn’t a daily occurence, I think I would do something along the lines of “cluck, cluck, cluck, cluckaaaawww” though probably without a very hard ‘k’. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/15 "2006-05-05T09:32:51Z")
Thanks, everyone! 'Though this city slicker is beginning to think there’s no such thing as a goat. They’re just funny looking sheep with short hair, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Otanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Otanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otanx)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/16 "2006-05-05T09:34:37Z")
Wasn’t there an Animaniacs skit where they were doing that, and got to Giraffe? Not much else to add to this. -Otanx ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/17 "2006-05-05T09:36:40Z")
[QUOTE=rainy] Then she flipped the page and said “What does a rabbit say?..” Silence ensued as my wife and I exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter, and asking “Yeah, GrandMaw, what does a rabbit say?” [/QUOTE] A couple of times when I helped out in preschools/creches, rabbits did actually feature in the Old MacDonald song; there was no sound associated with them, but the kids all had to twitch their noses (or try to). - With a [twitch twitch] here and a [twitch twitch] there… My favourite thing though, was to throw a spanner in the works by putting in “And on that farm, he had a _tortoise_…” - stunned silence, then fits of laughter, every time ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/18 "2006-05-05T11:09:20Z")
The goat says: “Take that straw out of my ass, you moron!” ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/19 "2006-05-05T13:11:19Z")
what really bugged me when I was in kindergarten was the rooster that said “cock-a-doodle-doo”. It just didnt seem natural… ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480/20 "2006-05-05T14:49:24Z")
An injured rabbit makes a high pitched, nerve shattering squeal. Wanna give the kid nightmares? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-macdonald-crisis-what-does-the-goat-say/355480.md?page=2)