Itsy Bitsy Spider

"The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "The Incy Wincy Spider" in Australia,[1] Great Britain,[2] and other anglophone countries) is a popular traditional nursery rhyme and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends, and reascends the downspout or "waterspout" of a gutter system (or, alternatively, the spout of a teapot or open-air reservoir). It is usually accompanied by a sequence of gestures that mimic the words of the song. Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 11586.

This article is about the nursery rhyme. For other uses, see Itsy Bitsy Spider (disambiguation).

Throughout this article, the North American title and lyrics are used to ensure consistency.

Lyrics

A commonly used version uses these words and gestures:[3]

WordsFingerplay

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other.
Hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers as the hands are lowered.
Sweep the hands from side to side.
Raise both hands and sweep to the sides to form a semicircle as the sun.
Wiggle fingers upwards.
(As in the first line)

Other versions exist.

Sources

The song can be found in publications including an alternative version in the book, Camp and Camino in Lower California (1910),[4] where it was referred to as [the classic] "Spider Song."[5] It appears to be a different version of this song using “blooming, bloody” instead of "itsy bitsy". It was later published in one of its several modern versions in Western Folklore, by the California Folklore Society (1948),[6] Mike and Peggy Seeger's, American Folk Songs for Children (1948).[7]

Lyrics as described in 1910, as being from the 'classic' "Spider Song":[5]

Oh, the blooming, bloody spider went up the spider web,
The blooming, bloody rain came down and washed the spider out,
The blooming, bloody sun came out and dried up all the rain,
And the blooming, bloody spider came up the web again.

The song is sung by and for children in countless languages and cultures. It is similar to the melodies of the children's songs "Sweetly Sings the Donkey" in the United States, and "Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer", "Ich bin ein kleiner Esel" (the German-language version of "Sweetly Sings the Donkey") and "Spannenlanger Hansel" in German-speaking countries.

Recordings

The popular nursery rhyme has been covered and sampled a number of times.

See also

References

Citations
  1. "Watervale Notes". The Northern Argus. Clare, South Australia: National Library of Australia. 21 December 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  2. "BBC – School Radio – Nursery songs and rhymes – Nursery rhymes and songs: Incy wincy spider". Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  3. "Words to The Itsy Bitsy Spider". www.datsplat.com.
  4. North 1910.
  5. North 1910, pp. 279–280.
  6. Hansen, Marian. "Children's Rhymes Accompanied by Gestures," Vol. 7, No. 1, p. 53
  7. Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Online search Archived 2013-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 August 2010.
  8. Biscoe, Patsy (1980), Patsy Biscoe's 50 favourite nursery rhymes, Rigby, ISBN 978-0-7270-1366-8
  9. "Itsy Bitsy Spider", Off-Centre Kids Productions on YouTube
  10. Itsy Bitsy by Lyn Lapid, retrieved 2021-02-01

General and cited sources
  • North, Arthur Walbridge (1910). Camp and Camino in Lower California. New York: The Baker & Taylor Company. pp. 279–280. OL 7019377M.
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