Poptimists Goes The Weasel

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yesterday I got sent a CD of nursery rhymes for my kid - it was rub though. But it reminded me to do the much promised NURSERY RHYMES CANON. These selections are from the top ranked nursery rhyme CD at Amazon.co.uk, from "Oxbridge Baby" (ew). Other CDs have about a billion rhymes on but this is a CANON POLL and we frown on such inclusiveness. You get six ticks.

[Poll #1126074]

Bonus task - can we compile a CD of pop records which quote or reference all of these? Adam Ant - "Puss In Boots". Fergie - "London Bridge" - there, 16 to go!

Comments

Cultural Differences?

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

A few of these I have never heard of before: "Polly Put the Kettle On", "Pussycat Pussycat", and "12345". Also "Ring a Ring O Roses" is I assume the same nursery rhyme that is called "Ring Around the Rosie" in America.

"The Grand Old Duke of York", despite its seemingly British centric lyrics, is well known in America, if not as well known as some of the others.

"Baa Baa Black Sheep" is clearly the most shameful omission here, though I put "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in the text box cause "Baa Baa Black Sheep" had already been mentioned.

Speaking Of Urban Myths...

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Baa Baa Black Sheep was left off because it's racialist.

Re: Cultural Differences?

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Also probably not a wise inclusion: Eeenie Meenie Minie Mo.

Re: Cultural Differences?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Polly Put The Kettle On is RUB - all that happens is they put a kettle on, make some tea, and take it off.

Pussycat Pussycat involves a cat going to London to look at the Queen, I forget the next bit. It is quite British.

12345 goes as follows:

12345 one I caught a fish alive
6789 10 then I let it go again
Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so
Which finger did it bite? This little finger on the right

It's a finger-counting game, obviously.

Re: Cultural Differences?

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

A similar rhyme in America stars: "1, 2 Buckle My Shoe/3,4 Shut the Door", etc. Does this rhyme also exist in England?

Re: Cultural Differences?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes! Agatha Christie used it as the basis for a detective novel once.

Re: Cultural Differences?

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

I must read this novel. Side question: I have never read Agatha, is it worth checking out her work?

Re: Cultural Differences?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

That is a big question! I like her and suspect that her popularity has obscured her gifts a bit BUT I don't read much crime or detective fiction. She's good enough at puzzles for her solutions to be surprises but not cheats, and good enough at characterisation for you to care while you're reading one who did it and why. But once you finish an Agatha they tend to slip from your mind pretty quickly, and for psychological depth or insight into crime or criminals she is useless. (For social observation she's pretty good though!)

Re: Cultural Differences?

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Important Follow Up. Wikipedia states thus regarding "Pop Goes the Weasel":

"Contemporary verses in the United States consist of mainly these two:

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)
Pop! goes the weasel. "

This is the only verse of "Pop Goes the Weasel" I have ever heard. Is it true that this is an America only verse?

Re: Cultural Differences?

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Quite possibly. I don't recognise that at all.

(That said, right now I could only recite the "Half a pound of twopenny rice" verse. I know there's at least one more but I've forgotten most of it.)

Re: Cultural Differences?

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

For people who grew up to be London bores, the key verse is the "Up and down the City Road/In and out the Eagle*" one, because it places the song in identifiable, real places. When the Independent newspaper had their offices on the City Road (before being shipped off to godforsaken Canary Wharf), they had a column written by 'The Weasel'.

*It's also your starter for how to talk like a character from EastEnders: omit "of"/"to" etc...

Re: Cultural Differences?

[avv.livejournal.com]

between the ages of approx 1 and 4 years me and my twin sister refused to go to sleep without being sung 'baa baa black sheep' a minimum of 5 times! it is a giant of the nursery rhyme canon.