She went a little further, and she met a stick.  So she said, “Stick! stick! beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; piggy won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the stick wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met a fire.  So she said, “Fire! fire! burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the fire wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met some water.  So she said, “Water! water! quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the water wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met an ox.  So she said, “Ox! ox! drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the ox wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met a butcher.  So she said, “Butcher! butcher! kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the butcher wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met a rope.  So she said, “Rope! rope! hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the rope wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met a rat.  So she said, “Rat! rat! gnaw rope; rope won’t hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the rat wouldn’t.

She went a little further, and she met a cat.  So she said, “Cat! cat! kill rat; rat won’t gnaw rope; rope won’t hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox; ox won’t drink water; water won’t quench fire; fire won’t burn stick; stick won’t beat dog; dog won’t bite pig; pig won’t get over the stile; and I shan’t get home till midnight.”  But the cat said to her, “If you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.”  So away went the old woman to the cow.

But the cow said to her, “If you will go to yonder haystack, and fetch me a handful of hay, I’ll give you the milk.”  So away went the old woman to the haystack; and she brought the hay to the cow.

As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat.

As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig squealed and jumped over the stile; and so the old woman got home before midnight.