Popping Weasels

Typical conversations with Mr. Ginley include ruminations on a wealth of topics.

Public domain image from NYPL

For example, the other day, he observed, "We always sang Pop Goes the Weasel as "All around the mulberry bush," but I read somewhere it's really "All around the cobbler's bench." Which is correct?

I stuck the question in the back of my mind and decided to look into it later. Well, here we are at later...

It turns out the nursery rhyme dates back to the 19th Century. The original lyrics made mention of a popular London pub. And there was no talk of either a cobbler's bench or a mulberry bush:

Half a pound of tuppeny rice,

Half a pound of treacle.

That's the way the money goes

Pop goes the weasel.

(The monkey appears in the second verse, but still no mention of a cobbler or bush.)

Every night when I go out

The monkey's on the table

Take a stick and knock it off

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 aforementioned London pub.

The song crossed the pond mid-19th Century, and voila, enter the cobbler:

All around the cobbler's house

The monkey chased the people

And after them in double haste

Pop goes the weasel.

Then, a century later, someone noodled with the lyrics and up popped the mulberry bush:

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel

The monkey thought it was all in fun

Pop goes the weasel.

The prevailing theory is the mulberry bush was appropriated from a similar children's rhyme, Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush.

Also, there is speculation the phrase "Stop beating around the mulberry bush" had something to do with the change. This phrase appeared in jazz tunes and later in a song by Bill Haley and the Comets.

Just to note, the phrase has since been shortened to "stop beating around the bush" (sans "mulberry").

As to the "Pop Goes the Weasel" part, there has been much speculation but no suitable answer. The consensus seems to be it's just a nonsensical phrase. This may be copout, but I'm inclined to agree, given the storyline doesn't feature an actual weasel, and that particular animal is not known to "go pop." 

While Mr. was not satisfied with this answer and came up with this own speculations about monkey and weasel behavior, I'm sticking with the nonsensical explanation.

Stay tuned for more lively discussions, right here in this space.