Buzz
'Pop! Goes the Weasel' is one of the most recognizable children's tunes ever written. From jack-in-the-box toys to Data and Riker’s first interaction in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' the catchy melody has become iconic. But the song likely didn't begin as a nursery rhyme, and the lyrics may not even reference a weasel popping out of a hole.
Create a Dance Craze
Since the 1850s, people have been unable to shake 'Pop! Goes the Weasel' from their minds. While its origins remain unclear, the song took England by storm in late 1852. An ad in The Birmingham Journal promoted dance lessons for the tune, which was 'recently introduced at her Majesty’s and the Nobility’s private soirees.' In a way, 'Pop! Goes the Weasel' was the Victorian equivalent of Los del Río’s 'Macarena,' with the song’s popularity partly fueled by its connection to Queen Victoria.
It didn’t take long for the catchy tune to make its way to America, with the song’s sheet music being published in the United States in 1853. That same year, dance instructor Eugene Coulon described it [PDF] as 'an old and very animated English Dance that has lately been revived among the higher classes of society.' He mentioned that it took the form of a 'Country dance,' with 'Ladies and Gentlemen being placed in lines opposite to each other.' At this stage, the only lyrics were 'pop goes the weasel,' sung as dancers passed under each other’s arms.
By October 1854, a song *about* the song had been released, with lyrics reflecting its immense popularity: 'Go where you will, you’ll hear it still, all dance Pop goes the Weasel.' Although the original version only had one line of lyrics, people quickly began composing their own. By November 1855, it was *reported* that 'almost every species of ribaldry and low wit has been rendered into rhyme to suit it,' but the specific rhymes remain unknown. One of the earliest known sets of lyrics came from Charley Twiggs in America, who in 1856 *wrote verses* such as:
*“Queen Victoria’s very sick, Napoleon’s got the measles, Sebastopol is won at last, ‘Pop goes the Weasel.’”
*All around the Cobblers house, The Monkey chased the people, The Minister kissed the Deacon’s wife, Pop goes the Weasel.”
The second verse closely mirrors the version most *commonly sung in the U.S.* today. It wasn’t until 1917 that *mulberry bush* started *to replace* *cobblers house* and the monkey began chasing a weasel instead of people. The earliest version sung in 1850s England had nearly *entirely different lyrics* (except for the final line):
*“Up and down the City-road, In and out the Eagle, That’s the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel.”*
This is now the second verse that is *commonly sung in the UK* today, with the modern first verse *appearing in print* by 1905:
*“Half a pound of tuppenny rice, Half a pound of treacle. Mix it up and make it nice, Pop goes the weasel.”*
Weasels, Spinners, and Slang—Oh My!
There has been much debate about what the lyrics of 'Pop! Goes the Weasel' truly mean—here are the most popular theories, which include mustelid behavior, a yarn measuring device, and *Cockney rhyming slang*.
Back in 1856—when the song still had its audience captivated—an anonymous writer in *Harper’s New Monthly Magazine* suggested that the line was the *result of mishearing*. They believed it came from Methodist preacher James Craven, who, during a sermon in Virginia, said, 'Take a kernel of that wheat between your thumb and finger, hold it up, squeeze it, and—*pop* goes the weevil.'
One of the simplest explanations is that the lyrics literally describe a weasel popping out of a hole. This theory connects to the accompanying dance, with *J. Holden MacMichael writing* in a 1905 edition of *Notes and Queries* that 'The weasel is doubtless the dancer, as he or she ‘pops’ through or under the arms of the others in the same sinuous manner as a weasel enters a hole, for it was at this part of the dance that all present used to sing ‘Pop goes the weasel.’'
Another idea is that *weasel* doesn't refer to the animal but rather a *spinner’s weasel*. Yarn spun on a spinning wheel could be measured on a weasel, a tool that emitted a popping sound when the desired length was reached. This interpretation might have inspired the *textile version of the verse*:
*“A penny for a ball of thread, A farthing for a needle, That’s the way the money goes, ‘Pop goes the weasel.’”*
The lyrics of the UK version of the rhyme are partly tied to London. *The Eagle* is an old pub—still serving drinks today—located just off City Road. The final line is often linked to 19th-century slang: *pop shop* referred to pawnbrokers, so to 'pop' something meant to pawn it. The meaning of *weasel* is less clear. One theory is that it refers to a coat, based on the *Cockney rhyme slang* *weasel and stoat*, though Gary Martin at Phrase Finder *disagrees* with this, as that phrase didn’t appear until the 1930s. Other ideas include a *purse*, *silverware*, or a *tailor’s iron*.
The true meaning of the lyrics may always remain elusive. It doesn’t matter which version of the song you sing, or even if you fully understand the references in the words—the catchy melody is bound to get stuck in your head regardless.
