June 14 is set aside to observe National Pop Goes the Weasel Day. On this day people dig back into their memories to the nursery rhymes, they learned as children and celebrate the day singing “Pop Goes the Weasel.”
The origins of this nursery rhyme are believed to date back to the 1700s.
The original version went as such:
Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
“The Eagle” in the second verse may refer to The Eagle freehold pub which was once at the corner of Shepherdess Walk and City Road in London. Its second life, in 1825, was as a music house. Then in 1901 it was demolished and rebuilt once more into a public house. It bears a plaque with this version of “Pop Goes the Weasel” along with the history of the pub.
The most common recent version was not recorded until 1914. In addition to the three verses above, American versions often include some of the following:
- All around the mulberry bush,
- The monkey chased the weasel.
- The monkey stopped to pull up his sock, (or The monkey stopped to scratch his nose)
- Pop! goes the weasel.
- Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
- Half a pound of treacle.
- Mix it up and make it nice,
- Pop! goes the weasel.
