Eensy Weensy Spider, The

DESCRIPTION: "The eensy weensy spider went up the water spout, Along came the rain and washed the spider out. Along came the sun and dried up all the rain So the eensy weensy spider climbed up the spout again."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Harbin-Parodology)
KEYWORDS: bug campsong | spider
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Baring-Gould-AnnotatedMotherGoose #579, p. 234, "(Incey wincey spider, climbed the water spout)"
Dolby-OrangesAndLemons, p. 103, "Incy Wincy Spider" (1 text)
Harbin-Parodology #110, p. 33, "The Spider and the Spout" (1 text,1 tune)
Delamar-ChildrensCountingOutRhymes, p. 6, "Eensy Weensy Spider" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, pp. 145, 174, 231, 232, 239, 257, 513, 514, "Itsy Bitsy Spider"/"Ensy Wensy Spider" (notes only)
Roud #11586
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Eency Weency Spider
NOTES [94 words]: The Baring-Goulds say that one is to enact the spider's adventures with fingers, and Harbin-Parodology briefly summarizes them. That would, at least, explain why no two authors seem to spell the words the same way.
The Harbin-Parodology version, which probably inspired some later versions, has "The blasted, bloomin' spider ran up the bloomin' spout."
It certainly inspired parodies. There are two, both fairly silly, in the Digital Tradition.
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 231, claims that this originated in a broadside, "The Rambling Soldier." I don't buy it.- RBW
Last updated in version 6.4
File: BGMG579

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