One, Two, Three, Mother Caught a Flea

DESCRIPTION: "One, two, three, Mother caught a flea, Flea died, mother cried, Out goes she." Or "(Mother/Ronny/etc.) caught a flea, Put it in a teapot And made a cup of tea."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1895 (Sutton-Smith-NZ-GamesOfNewZealandChilden/FolkgamesOfChildren)
KEYWORDS: playparty mother father bug food jumprope | flea rattlesnake
FOUND IN: New Zealand US(MA) Ireland
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Sutton-Smith-NZ-GamesOfNewZealandChilden/FolkgamesOfChildren, p. 89, "(One, two, three)" (1 text); p. 131, "(One, two, three)" (1 text); p. 133, "(One, two, three)" (2 texts)
Brady-AllInAllIn, p. 59, "One, two, three, My mother caught a flea" (1 text)
Peirce-KeepTheKettleBoiling, p. 37, "(One, two three, My mother caught a flea)" (1 text)
Kane-SongsAndSayingsOfAnUlsterChildhood, p. 45, "One, two, three" (1 text)
Withers-EenieMeenieMinieMo, p. 6, "(One, two three! Mother caught a flea)" (1 text)
Abrahams-JumpRopeRhymes, #98, "O Dear me, mother caught a flea"; #439, "One, two, three"; #574, "Two, four, six, eight, Papa caught a rattlesnake" (3 texts)
ADDITIONAL: Peter and Iona Opie, _I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth_, #5, "(Oh dear me! Mother caught a flea)" (1 text)
Roud #19254
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "One, Two, Three, Four, Mother Washed the Floor" (lyrics)
NOTES [55 words]: I could argue that Abrahams-JumpRopeRhymes #574, "Two, four, six, eight, Papa caught a rattlesnake" goes with "One Two Three Four, Mary at the Cottage Door"; the form looks like that. But the plot puts it here, even though it involves a snake, not a flea. As so often, it appears to be a case of two jump-rope rhymes mixing. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: SuSm089A

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