Pop Goes the Weasel
Encyclopedia
"Pop! Goes the Weasel" is an English language
nursery rhyme
and singing game
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 5249.
to the song. In England, most share the basic verse:
Often a second verse is added:
in 1853 described a dance, 'Pop! Goes the Weasel', which was, according to the music sheet, 'An Old English Dance, as performed at Her Majesty's & The Nobilities Balls, with the Original Music'. It had a tune very similar to that used today and only the words "Pop! Goes the Weasel". There is evidence that several people tried to add lyrics to the popular tune. The following verse had been written by 1856 when it was quoted in a performance at the Theatre Royal
:
In 1901 in New York the opening lyric was:
The most common recent version was not recorded until 1914. In addition to the three verses above, American versions often include some of the following:
Contemporary verses in the United States include these:
There are numerous American versions as printed in Vance Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, Volume III,
pp. 368-369. Randolph's #556, the A text. Collected 1926 from
Mrs. Marie Wilbur of Pineville, Missouri.
Perhaps because of the obscure nature of the lyrics there have been many suggestions for their significance, particularly over the meaning of the phrase 'Pop! goes the weasel', including: that it is a tailor's flat iron, a hatter's tool, a clock reel
used for measuring in spinning, a piece of silver plate, or that 'weasel and stoat' is Cockney rhyming slang for 'coat', which is 'popped or pawned' to visit or after visiting the Eagle pub, that it is a mishearing of weevil or vaisselle, that it was a nickname of James I, and that 'rice' and 'treacle' are slang terms for potassium nitrate and charcoal and that therefore the rhyme refers to the gunpowder plot
.
Other than correspondences, none of these theories has any additional evidence to support it, and some can be discounted because of the known history of the song. Iona and Pete Opie observed that, even at the height of the dance craze in the 1850s no-one seemed to know what the phrase meant.
It is probable that the "Eagle" mentioned in the song's third verse refers to The Eagle freehold pub at the corner of Shepherdess Walk and City Road
mentioned in the same verse. The Eagle was an old pub in City Road, London, which was re-built as a music hall in 1825, demolished in 1901, and then rebuilt as a public house
. This public house bears a plaque with this interpretation of the nursery rhyme and the pub's history.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
and singing game
Singing game
A singing game is an activity based around a particular verse or rhyme, usually associated with a set of actions and movements. They have been studied by folklorists, ethnologists and psychologists and are seen as important part of childhood culture...
. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 5249.
Lyrics
There are many different versions of the lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
to the song. In England, most share the basic verse:
- Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
- Half a pound of treacleTreacleTreacle is any syrup made during the refining of sugar and is defined as "uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar". Treacle is used chiefly in cooking as a form of sweetener or condiment....
. - That’s the way the money goes,
- Pop! goes the weaselWeaselWeasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
.
Often a second verse is added:
- Every night when I get home
- The monkey's on the table,
- Take a stick and knock it off,
- Pop! goes the weasel.
Origins
The song is mentioned in 1841 in England in the Thirtieth Annual Report Of The National Society For Promoting The Education Of The Poor, including alternative, more wholesome lyrics. A music sheet acquired by the British LibraryBritish Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
in 1853 described a dance, 'Pop! Goes the Weasel', which was, according to the music sheet, 'An Old English Dance, as performed at Her Majesty's & The Nobilities Balls, with the Original Music'. It had a tune very similar to that used today and only the words "Pop! Goes the Weasel". There is evidence that several people tried to add lyrics to the popular tune. The following verse had been written by 1856 when it was quoted in a performance at the Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
:
- Up and down the City Road
- In and out the Eagle
- That's the way the money goes
- Pop! goes the weasel.
American versions
The song seems to have crossed the Atlantic in the 1850s where US newspapers soon afterwards call it "the latest English dance", and the phrase "Pop! goes the weasel" soon took hold. The remaining lyrics were still unstable in Britain, and as a result some of the US lyrics are significantly different and may have an entirely different source, but use the same tune. The following lyrics were printed in Boston in 1858:- All around the cobbler's house,
- The monkey chased the people.
- And after them in double haste,
- Pop! goes the weasel.
In 1901 in New York the opening lyric was:
- All around the chicken coop,
- The possum chased the weasel.
The most common recent version was not recorded until 1914. In addition to the three verses above, American versions often include some of the following:
- All around the Mulberry Bush,
- The monkey chased the weasel.
- The monkey stopped to pull up his sock, (or The monkey stopped to scratch his nose)
- Pop! goes the weasel.
- Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
- Half a pound of treacle.
- Mix it up and make it nice,
- Pop! goes the weasel.
Contemporary verses in the United States include these:
- All around the mulberry bush (or cobbler's bench)
- The monkey chased the weasel;
- The monkey thought 'twas all in fun, (or "'twas all in good sport") (or "that it was a joke")
- Pop! goes the weasel.
- A penny for a spool of thread,
- A penny for a needle—
- That's the way the money goes,
- Pop! goes the weasel.
- Jimmy's got the whooping cough
- And Timmy's got the measles
- That's the way the story goes
- Pop! goes the weasel.
There are numerous American versions as printed in Vance Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, Volume III,
pp. 368-369. Randolph's #556, the A text. Collected 1926 from
Mrs. Marie Wilbur of Pineville, Missouri.
As a singing game
In Britain the rhyme has been played as a children's game since at least the late nineteenth century. The game is played to the "first" verse quoted above. Several rings are formed and they dance around as the verse is sung. One more players than the number of rings are designated as "weasels", all but one standing in the rings. When the "Pop! goes the weasel" line is reached they have to rush to a new ring before anyone else can. The one that fails is eliminated and the number of circles is reduced by one until there is only one weasel left.Meaning and interpretations
Spinners weasel
Spinner's weasel or clock reel is a mechanical yarn measuring device consisting of a spoked wheel with gears attached to a pointer on a marked face and an internal mechanism which makes a "pop" sound after the desired length of yarn is measured . The pointer allows the spinner to see how close...
used for measuring in spinning, a piece of silver plate, or that 'weasel and stoat' is Cockney rhyming slang for 'coat', which is 'popped or pawned' to visit or after visiting the Eagle pub, that it is a mishearing of weevil or vaisselle, that it was a nickname of James I, and that 'rice' and 'treacle' are slang terms for potassium nitrate and charcoal and that therefore the rhyme refers to the gunpowder plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
.
Other than correspondences, none of these theories has any additional evidence to support it, and some can be discounted because of the known history of the song. Iona and Pete Opie observed that, even at the height of the dance craze in the 1850s no-one seemed to know what the phrase meant.
It is probable that the "Eagle" mentioned in the song's third verse refers to The Eagle freehold pub at the corner of Shepherdess Walk and City Road
City Road
City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through inner north and central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at the Angel, Islington where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for London's first bypass, the New Road from...
mentioned in the same verse. The Eagle was an old pub in City Road, London, which was re-built as a music hall in 1825, demolished in 1901, and then rebuilt as a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. This public house bears a plaque with this interpretation of the nursery rhyme and the pub's history.
External links
- Extensive lyrics, with chords, on Kristin's site at MIT
- World Wide Words, Michael Quinion: POP GOES THE WEASEL (June 2004)
- Scroll to "Pop Goes the Weasel" to see how it is used by algebra teachers to help students remember the quadratic formula."
- Public domain version from 1853 arranged by Charley Twiggs on IMSLP.org