Pop! Goes the weasel

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Pop! Goes the Weasel is a world-famous nursery rhyme from Great Britain that is said to have emerged from an old folk dance of the 18th century . "Pop! Goes the Weasel ”is particularly popular in the USA , where it is often sung or performed with children's games.

Song lyrics

Originally, the song that was sung with the English dance consisted of just one verse : “Pop! Goes the Weasel ”, which was repeated over and over again. Around 1900 it finally became a nursery rhyme, the text content of which was constantly varied over time. The following verse is one of the most famous text variations:

Half a pound of tuppenny rice ,
A penny full of treacle ,
That's the way the money goes ,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Occasionally two more stanzas are added:

Every night when I get home ,
The monkey's on the table ,
Take a stick and knock it off ,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Up and down the City Road ,
In and out the Eagle ,
That's the way the money comes ,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

A US text version reads:

All around the cobbler's house , the
monkey chased the people .
And after them in double haste ,
Pop! Goes the weasel .

origin

The nursery rhyme was first mentioned on a sheet of music from 1853, which is now kept in the British Library in London . According to the opening text, “Pop! Goes the Weasel “a ball dance that was danced at the court of nobles and to which the title verse was sung as a refrain . According to the paper, the original melody was very similar to today's one. The song came to the USA around 1858 and immediately became popular there.

Receptions

"Pop! Goes the Weasel ”has become so popular and well-known worldwide that the melody in particular has found its way into the toy world , but also into the film and computer game industry. Music boxes and box devils in particular let the song ring out. In numerous horror films and games, music boxes with this melody are used to increase the horror factor. In the point-and-click horror game “ Five Nights at Freddy's 2 ”, for example, the player is attacked by an antagonist when his jukebox “Pop! Goes the Weasel “plays.

literature

  • Iona Opie, Peter Opie: The Singin Game . Oxford University Press, Ohio 1988, ISBN 0192840193 , pp. 216-218.
  • William Emmett Studwell: The Americana Song Reader . Haworth Press, New York 1997, ISBN 0789001500 , pp. 135 & 136.