Unveiling Pop Goes the Weasel's Code

Ever wondered about the mysterious origins of "Pop Goes the Weasel"? 🤔 This whimsical nursery rhyme holds secrets far beyond its playful tune. Join me, Darklings, as we delve deep into its historical layers and reveal a tale of Victorian hardship and possibly even a royal conspiracy! 👑🔍
In this video, we embark on a journey through the captivating history of "Pop Goes the Weasel." We'll explore the 19th-century street culture of London, where the rhyme first gained popularity among street musicians and organ grinders. Discover how the bustling, chaotic environment of Victorian London gave rise to the song's catchy melody and seemingly nonsensical lyrics.
But there's more to this rhyme than meets the eye. We uncover the hidden meanings embedded in Cockney rhyming slang, revealing a story of financial struggle and daily survival. Learn how phrases like "popping the weasel" and references to everyday items reflect the harsh realities faced by London's working class.
As we delve deeper, we'll explore fascinating theories that link the rhyme to the Gunpowder Plot, suggesting that "Pop Goes the Weasel" might have been a coded reference to the infamous attempt to assassinate King James I. Could this nursery rhyme be more than just a children's song?
Join us as we unravel these intriguing possibilities and shed light on the dark history behind "Pop Goes the Weasel." Don't forget to subscribe for more deep dives into nursery rhyme origins! Share your thoughts in the comments below-do you believe the rhyme reflects Victorian life or mocks a king? 💬👇
CHAPTERS:
00:36 Revisiting the Rhyme
01:53 Origins
04:08 "Pop Goes the Weasel"?
06:12 Tupenny Rice
07:01 The Eagle
08:01 The Monkey
09:13 Thread & Needle
10:00 Cobblers Bench
10:29 A Deeper Meaning?
#PopGoesTheWeasel #NurseryRhymeOrigins #DarkHistory #VictorianLondon #CockneySlang #GunpowderPlot #HistoryMystery #SubscribeNow
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[@lancerevell5979]

I remember the "mulberry bush" version from my childhood here in North Florida, 1960s. 😊 Another definition of "monkey" is the Brass Monkey, a brass fixture on armed sailing ships which held a number of stacked iron cannon balls. In extreme cold, the two metals expanded or contracted at different rates. Taken to an extreme, the cannon balls would fall off. Thus, "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey"! 😅

[@theseustoo]

Wow! I never knew where that phrase came from. It's always good to learn something new, especially about etymology. Thanks for that! 😁

[@krisindaboyce2747]

Sounds like "Pop goes the weasel". Can suit many different meanings over many centuries. Depending on the context it is used in.

[@nancyholcombe8030]

As both a musician and an amateur historian, I've known for a long time that nursery rhymes are usually based on factual events in history; sometimes, even current events of the time. I also knew that the American version I grew up singing made no sense to me when I grew older (mulberries come from a tree, not a bush), so I figured that the original came from England or the Grimm brothers. I truly appreciate that you showed the original rhyme from the nineteenth century as well as the possible connections of the original dance tune to perhaps another historical event. Having now seen the Victorian words, there's no doubt in my mind that they were created by the poor class in London or another mechanized city in England and, like a political newspaper, the words zoomed like a shot around the adult population of Britain. The song was already a dance, so it makes sense that the upper classes would re-style it to minimalize the context of the new words. But, the canny working-class adults taught the catchy tune to their children. Now, new high-society dance or not, the political backlash is literally in the faces of the middle and upper class folk every time they step out of the house! The children of the poor have created a dance to it all their own, mocking the 'superior' classes walking by them without their even knowing what they are doing! Organ grinders were considered the lowest of the musicians at the time. No wonder they played it for the children to dance and sing to! No wonder it infuriated the local government that they did! It all makes incredibly perfect sense! A protest without a true political gathering and yet the whole town is in on it! Still, why this tune? Could it be that the creator of the nineteenth century words knew a bit of the words mocking Charles I and decided that the irony was too delicious to pass up? It wouldn't be the first time that an old political song was given new life to blast current times. Now it all makes truly perfect sense. Thanks for the historical trip! Very, very cool, IMO! 😊

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you for sharing your insights :) 🖤 "Pop Goes the Weasel" was definitely at the centre of a sort of Victorian class conflict. The melody originated in aristocratic ballrooms, but the working class added lyrics, and transformed it into a popular street tune. There was also an emerging Victorian middle class, who worked from home as scientists, writers, musicians, etc. and they frequently complained about the noise from street musicians, particularly organ grinders, arguing that it disrupted their work. However, much of their objection was likely rooted in a deeper disdain for the working and lower classes encroaching upon their domestic spaces, with "Pop Goes the Weasel" being one of the main tunes in this cultural clash. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! :)

[@KeithPrince-cp3me]

As a long time east Londoner, the first explanation for the rhyme given here is exactly the one I heard as a youngster several decades ago. I found it strange that the term "tuppeny" meaning two pence had to be explained.

[@whiterabbit-wo7hw]

I'm from America and spent two years in the UK, and I was pleased to hear tuppence or tuppenny as was stated.

[@katherinelarini8514]

There are Darklings all over the world and for their benefit the London slang words are explained...

[@colinr1960]

As an Australian 🇦🇺 who was 6 when we went to dollars and cents in 1966 I clearly remember tuppeny or tuppence. Up until they stopped selling fireworks you could still buy “Tuppeny Bungers”…a good size banger. Cost a lot more than tuppence in the 1970’s, tho’….closer to a Bob…😬

[@BerylForrest]

Part of my childhood 😅

[@MtnBoar]

@@colinr1960As an American I can’t imagine not having any fireworks. I believe I have an old two pence and a Canadian toonie

[@johnthomas189]

Welcome back, and thank you for bringing more light into my life. When I was a young lad back in the 1950's, I was told that a weasel was a long slender smoothing iron used for ironing sleeves from the inside to avoid burnishing the best worsted from which the coat was made. It was thus a desirable tool for a tailor, but not always essential, and could often be dispensed with for short periods. So if you had spent too long (and too much) in The Eagle, you could always pop the weasel round to uncle (your local family pawnbroker) to get a little more of the necessary.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! Your support makes all the hard work worth it :) 🖤 And thank you for sharing your knowledge! It's fascinating to hear all the different ideas of just what the 'weasel' is!

[@lesmartin8131]

Couldn't have put it better me ol' china

[@yef122]

I teach math, and my students know the pop goes the weasel tune. I have them sing the quadratic formula to it (it fits perfectly), and it really helps them remember it!

[@pineapplepenumbra]

I had a cold and was off school during the explanation for quadratic equations, turned up and the maths teacher said, "you cancel that out against that" or something, and I asked, how do you know which bit corresponds to which, and so know how to solve the equation, and she simply replied with, "You just do." She was a nice person, but I never did learn how to deal with quadratic equations, which is a shame. Don't they describe how something curves on a graph, or something?

[@yef122]

@pineapplepenumbra yes - graphs of quadratic function are parabolas, which sort of make a "U" shape

[@pineapplepenumbra]

@@yef122 Yes, just as I suspected; witchcraft!

[@pineapplepenumbra]

@@yef122 I really should learn about them, though, even though it will be no use in my life.

[@douglaspearch3813]

I’m sure there is a video on KZbin that explains it.

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

Every child's song has a dark back story!

[@SMacCuUladh]

Life is dark and children need to be prepared for it without causing too much trauma.

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

@@SMacCuUladhWell, sometimes the preparation backfires and trauma is inflicted!

[@lornocford6482]

​@@SMacCuUladha secure foundation is the best way to prepare adults to deal with the harsh realities of life. Children are supposed to be taken care of.

[@SMacCuUladh]

@@lornocford6482 wrapping children in cotton wool doesn't prepare them for life.

[@peggywalker4081]

My head is spinning! So many ah ha moments. I appreciate the love and hard work you put in to your videos. 💙

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! :) And I'm grateful for your support and encouragement! 🖤

[@keithsummers6139]

the eagle is still a pub just off of city road. i got bladdered in there for an xmas drink with my dad when i was 14. back in 77

[@athelwulfgalland]

Bladdered? Care to educate an old Yank that isn't fully fluent in proper English? ;)

[@DJTheTrainmanWalker]

Eh lad... them were the days... I was 13 when the Rugby club got me plastered for the first time... My Ma was livid... These days there would be charges etc...

[@athelwulfgalland]

Ah! I get it! Bladdered equates to p*ssed! I was born two days into 78, so not long after that Xmas drink of yours. I found myself in that state 3 times before I had even attended grammar school. The first time was officially sanctioned by my (now late) parents in very late 1979. Everyone else was drinking an odd brand of beer called "Moosehead" & were eating salted peanuts. By God I wanted some to! My parents were playing host to a married couple they were friendly with & they were just the sort to gain amusement by seeing a toddler get exactly what he asked for. Much to their surprise, although I grimaced at the flavor initially, I kept right on drinking. I learned that eating a pinch of salted peanuts just before you took the drink chased off that bitter taste. By the time I reached the bottom of that bottle I was fried. The second time was when my mother lost track of me during a Christmas party in a fancy condo that was arranged by her workplace in 1981. I was going around & drinking whatever was left in unattended tasty mixed drinks, apparently. When she found me, I was stumbling around/rolling around the living room floor, red faced & giggling like an idiot. The third time was shortly after I turned 4. I'd found what was left of a small bottle of Gin which my grandfather had stashed behind his bed stand or dresser. I vaguely recall sneaking it into my bedroom & sipping on it until it was empty. It burned, but it was a strange kinda burn, that I liked! What more would you expect from a boy with a quarter Irish & a quarter Polish blood?! :D As a bonus, there MIGHT have been a fourth time in there, soon after I'd started Kindergarten. My mother had bought my father this big flat of bottle shaped chocolates filled with fancy liqueurs. It was BIG. I would say there were at least 40 of them in there & it hadn't yet been opened. Well, you see, I was supposed to take a nap at that age & I was well on my way to grow out of them (until they came back a few years ago!) At first I was only going to try one or two; But you know how it goes, right? I got the belt late that afternoon, when I was found with an empty box, the plastic liner sprawled on either side of me with all these little balls of colored foil that had once contained the liqueur filled chocolates all over the room. Essentially I managed to get blitzed through these tasty treats & took my nap! In retrospect; It was worth the whipping! I still wonder though how I didn't wretch after eating all those sweets & mixing all that booze with it?! Funny enough; I've actually gotten well & truly bladdered only 5 times during all of my adult years. I think I was trying to get it out of my system early!

[@raypurchase801]

Young teens learning to drink responsibly with adults is a good thing. I'm of a similar age. My Air Cadet officers would take us to the pub. (Don't call me "sir" in the pub, you'll give the game away.) Doing the same thing today would get criminal convictions those officers.

[@EyeInTheSky982]

I'm Canadian; and I grew up with the "mulberry bush" version of this rhyme. These backstories are fascinating. 🙂😁

[@JohnPotts-kq7kk]

I grew up in Missouri U.S. and also knew & learned with mulberry bush, never heard any other way until now..

[@EyeInTheSky982]

@@JohnPotts-kq7kk Same bro. Same. 🙂🙂 I never heard any other version either, until now.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Glad you enjoyed it! :) 🖤

[@Bobsbud100]

Im from the country in England and i knew it with the Mulberry bush.

[@EyeInTheSky982]

@Bobsbud100 At this point, I imagine every country in the world has heard the mulberry bush version; but I could be wrong. 🤔🤔

[@jeremywolstenholme9277]

I love being a Darkling.

[@troyallen8223]

😊😊👍🏼🤣

[@faithdelucas1517]

What the heck is a darkling?

[@The-Resurrectionists]

That makes me so happy to hear :) 🖤

[@greeboX]

Same here! :D I came home from work and saw the new video. Perfect to start the evening.

[@Friendship1nmillion]

​@@The-ResurrectionistsLoved this video and gave it a like vote . Have subscribed to your channel now . Are you willing to do a collab video at some point ( not with me , I've found someone I could suggest ) ? ♑✍️🇧🇻🇦🇺

[@monicacall7532]

Here in the US the only verse most of us know is the last one where the monkey chased the weasel around the cobbler’s bench. One summer I worked as a docent at a living history park dedicated to the pioneers who’d trekked to the Western US to start new lives. As I was in a farmhouse that had both a walking and a sitting spinning wheel I got to demonstrate how the “weasel” on the device that held the newly spun thread would “pop” when a certain measure of thread had been wound around the device. It actually did make a strange popping sound. It sure beat having to count the rotations out loud, especially if someone needed my attention.

[@morriganwitch]

Hope all is well nice to see you back xxx

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I'm much better thank you! And very happy to be back :) Hope all is well with you too! 🖤

[@morriganwitch]

@@The-Resurrectionists all good here thanks xxx

[@SwampNymph522]

I learned the quadratic formula in my senior year of high school 🏫 to the melody of this song. That’s the power of music.

[@amazinggrace5692]

Do tell!

[@SwampNymph522]

X equals negative B plus or minus the square root of B squared take away 4 A C all over 2 A

[@amazinggrace5692]

@@SwampNymph522 ah yes, thanks for that! Graduated college in 1980. Many dead memories since then!

[@greybeardcanadian1036]

The connection to the Gunpowder Plot is intriguing

[@Derek_Garnham]

hmm, tenuous in my mind, half a pound of saltpetre and half a pound of charcoal aint nowhere near enough to deal with a government.

[@johntiggleman4686]

@graybeardcanadian1036 "Remember, remember, the Fifth of November: the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason that the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."

[@lancerevell5979]

One of my English ancestors was in Parliament at that time. Had the plot worked, my family tree might have lost a branch! 😮

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

Thanks, as a working class SE Londoner, this social history is wonderful. You're really unravelling and letting me hear the voice of my ancesters.

[@doctordeej]

I leanered this song from my Grandparents on both sides. Both very much from London, Silvertown, Hackney, and Shoreditch. One grandfather had a barber’s shop on Moorgate. It was most definitely explained as the ‘pawn broker’ version from each of them. Given their parents lived in the same area all there lives it seems to me that this is the most likely.

[@nschlaak]

"Contagious and petulant" so songs have been sticking in people's heads for a long time and aren't a recent problem.

[@wiseoldfool]

No, but the phenomenon now has a name: an earworm.

[@humboldthammer]

I am the Walrus (long in the tooth) Q cues a coup. Cuckoo's a clue.

[@ClickToSeeMore-zy9fc]

She said 'contagious and pestilent' tho

[@ClickToSeeMore-zy9fc]

@@humboldthammer Kaja googoo..Googoo Gajoob!

[@jeffshope4374]

No we got Tic Tok now

[@katherinelarini8514]

Your tale of the London poor made so much sense that you had me hook, line, and sinker; UNTIL you threw the King James spanner into the works... always so thought provoking... so glad you're back... your devoted Darkling...

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed it :) 🖤

[@nahkohese555]

When I was little, my grandmother sang me the "Cobbler's Bench" version, but when I got into kindergarten, everyone else seemed to know the "Mulberry Bush" version. Of course, my grandmother also used to sing to me about Mr. Dunderbeck and his sausage making machine - and how all the dogs and cats in the neighborhood seemed to disappear when he switched it on . . .

[@Lisa-x3n5x]

I so want to hear that.

[@maryhairy1]

I had forgotten much of these words. Good to be refreshed. My friends had imbibed too much the previous evening. The one friend was recovering but slept heavily. The other friend played the bagpipes. So to wake up his friend, he played, pop goes the weasel right next to him!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I imagine your sleeping friend was delighted with his wake-up call! 😅

[@peterforden5917]

back in the 70's I had a job on BR at Watford Junction as a railwayman man (often called a Porter, which job had gone extinct when the railways had been nationalized by a greedy Labour government) the railway slang for a tip was a weasel the rhyme is a sort of protest song about living expenses

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you for sharing! It’s such a shame that there have been so many changes and job cuts in the railway industry. The English railway used to be something to be proud of, and it's sad to see how much it has changed over the years. Thank you for your hard work as a railway porter 🖤

[@philroberts7238]

There was no greed involved in the nationalisation of the railways. After the war there were all virtually bankrupt. (PS: As student in the 60s, I too had a job as a porter at Watford Junction!)

[@CrazyBear65]

Mulberry bush... Funny, because mulberries grow on _trees,_ not bushes. We have a mulberry tree in our backyard, it's forty five feet at least! I never heard the version you read here before. Pop Goes The Weasel is what Jack in the boxes play, and the clown pops up on _pop._ It's also the music that made Curly Q Howard go nuts. This was interesting. I don't know what it's like in England, but I'm a member of the poor and downtrodden American working class. I've had to pawn my bass before just to make it to payday. I've never had a new car, not that I would want one, mind you, old cars were built better. I had a house once, and I had a wife once too, but now I have a truck and two dogs.

[@kirstymackenzie2437]

Oh dear! All the very best from England! 😊

[@buster9106]

In 1960s New England in the US, I learned it as "all around the carpenter's bench.". But now kids there learn mulberry bush I believe.

[@labethspain7936]

You have a way of weaving historical events into nursery rhymes (when reading was uncommon and recounting the past could be dangerous) ~ an excellent job 😊~ Thank You!!

[@joyavanessen3704]

I used to think pop goes the weasel was talking about Henry the 8ths body exploding after death and the eagle was supposed to be about Anne Boleyn . Lol that's what my grandma told me and I never questioned it. Until now. I love this last rabbit hole that landed me here with this woman's brilliant Playlist

[@dysonsquared]

I love this background analysis! Saved and favorited - note the Yank spelling - I'll come back to this video often! There's more than I thought and more detail than a simple nursery rhyme here - and that's something I've suspected for fifty years now. Thank you for the enlightenment!

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I WAS TOLD AS A CHILD* in an impoverished part of Britain, that it was about pawning a "tailors weasel" a small iron that went inside the trouser legs and arms for pressing flat the seams They could get a disproportionate amount of money for it, as it was an essential tool of the trade, they HAD to come back for it or they could not continue their business.

[@kirstymackenzie2437]

So fascinating about this old rhyme!! And all the comments too are are!! Giving me another insight into this kids’ song.

[@rodneyfrost1674]

The pawning of coats was popular practice in Pepys' time. There being no or few banks, money was invested in expensive buttons for coats. During hard times the whole coat, or even a button or two was popped. This would be for reay cash, the main hoard was kept in a chest indoors. During the great fire he dug a hole in the yard and buried it to be safe from flames should they come his way, Whether he put in his coat i don't know, I expect he kept it on wear it as we do with credit cards these days. I love your show, Keep it up, please.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! :) I'm so happy you enjoyed the video🖤

[@majorlaff8682]

Hey, Rodney, in the forties and fifties, my dear old ma often galloped off to Bloom's (local pawnbroker) on a Monday morning with dad's best suit and his accordion. That money kept the family fed but she had to have it back by Friday afternoon.

[@willashby2250]

I always thought it was a C19th East End rhyme as suggested; but interesting spin on King James! And as always, your voice is like the sound of a single drop of the nectar of the gods falling to a golden pond from the wings of a butterfly! X

[@nortiusmaximus1789]

Haha, maybe a little over the top when first read, but it grows on one, as does her smooth, silky voice when heard.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Wow thank you! How kind and incredibly poetic! 🖤 :)

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

My name is Wezel, Weasel in English, so this video has my attention ! Because of the negativity surrounding my name these days, here are some notes about Mustela Vulgaris: "Weasels live solitary lives. A male's territory usually overlaps several females' territories. The majority of their prey are larger than the weasel itself. When weasels hunt, they chase prey into their dens. The animals eat about a third of their body weight in food per day." Just saying ;-) I would like to thank you for all your hard work and sharing of this beautiful, well-told video 👍 Greetings from the 🌹Netherlands 🇳🇱, TW.

[@kalrandom7387]

Thank you for the history lesson. My thoughts are every nursery rhyme has a story behind it. Because that is the way knowledge was transferred throughout history before paper was invented, we've just lost the reason why knowledge was being transferred. Scholars want to have written accounts of everything when in fact the best thing they should be doing is listening to the stories and the songs for their lesson of history in that area.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I quite agree! :) Thank you for watching and commenting 🖤

[@morgangallowglass8668]

Of course, here in the States, the tune will forever be known for its effect on Curly Joe of the Three Stooges! Brilliant vid!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Glad you enjoyed it! :) 🖤

[@angeloflight5148]

I remember Antonio Newly singing this in the sixties. 😮

[@nickgov66]

Anthony Newley

[@angeloflight5148]

I know it was Anthony, took you a long time to notice 😮​@@nickgov66

[@Kiery86]

I’ve never been one for recollecting nursery rhymes. To my mind, I really can’t remember that many from my childhood. Really interesting and thought-provoking interpretations in each of your videos I’ve watch so far. I’m really enjoying your channel!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying my channel :) 🖤

[@CyclingM1867]

This was quite fascinating. I hadn't actually thought about this song for a long time, but it makes sense that it, like so many nursery rhymes and old children's stories, would have a darker meaning than we modern people might like to think.

[@RadioJonophone]

I learned this rhyme as a youngster, it was the first tune I played on the piano aged around three. I thought about the words and came to the conclusion that it was about poverty. Although in Manchester, I somehow connected the weasel part with posh clothing. Pop was slang for taking stuff to the pawnbroker. The City Road and The Eagle seemed to me to be places for celebration, so were uplifting parts of the tale. I visited this tavern a few years ago, not knowing its significance until reading the board you illustrated. Wow! I felt that I had somehow come home to relive some fragment of my childhood and that of my predecessors a hundred years before me.

[@davidobrien9362]

The Eagle pub on The City Road was still thier back in 1985,my firms office was near there a d id go for my wages on a Fri .

[@davidwhelan1545]

Some great theories and stories, of our sordid and totally fantastic history!

[@Feisty_Elfgirl_5258]

The members of 'The National Society for Promoting The Education Of The Poor' sound like they would be so much fun at parties.

[@jaconbran2367]

The image of the weasel being chased by a monkey and then the pub being called the eagle It put me in mind of the golden compass 😂

[@melissadahl7561]

How fascinating!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed it :) 🖤

[@charlesvandenburgh5295]

Whatever its meaning, that was a truly grim existence.

[@davidpenny9865]

And welcome back - we all missed you!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! It's good to be back! :) 🖤

[@jamescaron6465]

Welcome back. I think it was about lower class life in Victorian England.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you! It's good to be back :) 🖤

[@jamescaron6465]

@@The-Resurrectionists You are welcome! I love your stories. I love history and you provide a very unique perspective. I don't know if it is being a darkling but history isn't very pretty and we need to learn it all, the good the bad and the very very dark.

[@lat1419]

It could also describe parts of London life now.

[@colindeer4908]

Hello and thank you for another feature. I favour your first detailed explanation about the life in London of the poor. Nice to hear you once again. Stay well Queen Darkling.

[@OldSchool1947]

I like to stop the video and study the haunting pictures you present. You do such a great job in researching each topic and take us to places we’ve never been!

[@dshe8637]

I thought the song was about the life of people in poverty and alcoholism. Pop goes the weasel is weekly pawning a coat like suggested in the video. The monkey on the table is about addiction - like having a 'monkey on your back' or having DTs and hallucinating.

[@kimsherlock8969]

I have just found this wonderful history channel. Great research 👏

[@utubeape]

Outstanding video, the photos and illustrations of Victorian London are very evocative. I can't imagine it would have been very safe to sing songs about blowing up the king, so the more likely version is the rhyming slang song of poverty.

[@speleokeir]

It's a British tradition to sing rude songs about our rulers and using rhyming slang would make it a private joke the ruling class wouldn't understand.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and commenting :) 🖤

[@saddaddrummer]

Good to have you back and hope you're fully recovered, sounds like you are.😊😊I had that Anthony Newly song banging around in my head while watching this .......looks like I will be taking it to bed with me Grrrrrrrr.......😊😊

[@mandolinic]

I always think of Tony Newley when I hear this rhyme. He also did one about a donkey and strawberries.

[@nickgov66]

Anthony Newley sang about "Strawberry Fair" based on another song well known in Victorian London. If you Google "Anthony Newley" and "Pop goes the weasel" or "Strawberry Fair" you will be directed to his performances. Incidentally, though largely forgotten now Newley started as a child actor and as grew older he appeared in many films. As an adult he appeared with Rex Harrison in the original film version of "Doctor Doolittle". He was also a singer who performed many of his own songs written in collaboration with Leslie Briccuse, including the theme to the James Bond film "Goldfinger" performed by Shirley Bassey. Newley was married for several years to the actress Joan Collins and appeared with her in a very strange film called "Can Heironimus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humpe and Find True Happiness?" 12:37

[@mandolinic]

@@nickgov66 Thanks for that. I remember him from Dr Doolittle, and I knew of his collaboration with Leslie Bricusse, but the rest is all new information. Such a talented person, now mostly forgotten.

[@nickgov66]

@@mandolinic My pleasure.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you, I'm much better and glad to be back! :) Yes, I too had that stuck in my head whilst making the video 😂🖤

[@jodypitt3629]

"The Eagle" was a music hall in the City Road Islington.

[@Randy-v9x]

Shining truth is shining light & everyone sees better in truth and light. Thank you.

[@Bella-fz9fy]

I think street music is often missing from English period dramas and films,as it was such a popular way to tell of news and entertain people,before the radio and television was invented!

[@jimmybisk]

Thanks for a really interesting video. This is the one rhyme that I was taught about many years ago in Primary School, though bizarrely I've only ever heard the first verse. Unless I'm recalling this entirely wrong, I was taught that 'Weazel ' had 2 possible meanings in the rhyme. The first being that it was another name for a purse which was opened and closed with a popper. The second being it was the name of a workmans saw which made a popping sound when cutting wood. It did seem to be an allegory for poverty though. I didn't make the connection to the gunpowder plot although I can see how part of that could fit. The only thing that doesn't explain is the tuppeny rice, so I'm more inclined to associate it with the Victorian London theory,which seems to fit more. A rhyme I'd really like to learn about is Wee willy winky.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! It's fascinating to see how many different interpretations of the 'weasel' are out there, yet all contributing to the same meaning of the rhyme overall. I have 'Wee Willy Winky' on my list so I will get around to it at some point! Thanks for watching :) 🖤

[@jimmybisk]

@@The-Resurrectionists Thanks for your reply. It's such a fascinating subject & you do a really great job of tackling it.

[@lilbullet158]

Wonderfully narrated. The art work and Photography is Very well chosen and really impressive too...

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you for your kind words! It means a lot! 🖤

[@keithfallinghorse6732]

A fantastic social comment on the shirt trade is Thomas Hood's. "Song of the Shirt". Published 1843. It brings tears of sadness every time I read it, and things have not changed.

[@caribstu]

Just a thought, but could the verse 'A penny for a spool of thread a penny for a needle' possibly also refer to repairing any clothes before taking them back to the pawnbroker 'pop goes the weasel' in order to get more cash for them, or risk the pawnbroker refusing to accept them. Just a thought.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Oh that's a great observation! Thank you for sharing :)🖤

[@merrywriterb7811]

I like the spinning weasel making a pop sound as the origin ... and the song morphing from there into all kinds of slang and obfuscation.

[@PasqualeDeRosa-n1v]

There was a children's street song from early 1900's or there abouts in Glasgow sung to the tune of, I think, a Royal Navy march, I could be wrong, anyway: "Ah cannae come oot today, Ah cannae come oot and play. Ma maw's away tae pawn ma shirt, Ah cannae come oot today."

[@sarrjel]

I think the poem lyrics are referenced to Central London where poor people gathered to sew, drink and pawning your best clothes to receive money until pay day. Although the term weasel does serve as negative connotations to a person's character. Even in today's standard a person who is dis-honest, cruel and uses the law or some sort of blackmail is considered a trickster or weasel in their own right. A person who is a weasel will "weasel" themselves out of a problem that they started to get people close to them in trouble and have to pay for the mistakes that they caused.

[@orangeoog1766]

Very much want to mix with this audio because your voice keeps such a good tempo and is ideal when I imagine you saying 'Let's take a look at this rhyme' and then throwing down some fast UK grime.

[@markstone7140]

'Half a pound of tuppeny rice, Half a pound of treacle, mix it up and make it nice' - mixing potassium nitrate and charcoal to 'pop' James 1st, the 'weasel'?

[@ChunksPlace]

Easily my favorite channel on KZbin ❤

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I'm thrilled to hear that! Thank you for your support 🖤

[@francineb7340]

This song has definitely evolved. My dad learned this one in Iowa in the 1920s "All around the vinegar jug the monkey chased the weasel, the monkey stopped to pick up a rock, Pop goes the weasel!" Probably based on prohibition, vinegar jug meaning liquor, the weasel and monkey are the distillers and the government

[@nicholaswalker2494]

I remember this when growing up in Yorkshire,especially the ingredients to make ends meet,the second time in the film The Godfather part 2.Keep up the good work dark one 👍👍

[@seantodd8875]

I'm glad I found this channel. I'm sick to death of hearing an AI voice reading an AI-generated script. I am willing to give my time, likes, and subs to this channel, which actually puts in the work.

[@higgs923]

Fascinating! Thank you for enlightening me.

[@frankd4581]

Please make a video explaining the historical origin of the famous nursery rhyme character named Mother Goose and why in some versions of what she looks like have her depicted as an old woman in a pointy hat who rides a giant goose or is sometimes depicted as a human sized anthropomorphic goose and seen wearing a mother’s bonnet and shawl please

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Great suggestion! I will look into it :) 🖤

[@polygonalmasonary]

It’s not all ancient history, many of the financial terms were used in my childhood because I grew up well before decimalisation. I learned what you call ‘old money’ at school right up until my eleven plus exam. IE. Tuppenny piece, we also had a Thruppeny Bit! 😮 🙏🇬🇧♥️🌈

[@aick]

Love your channel! This is fascinating stuff, appreciate it.

[@patrickpatrick1733]

I'll settle for the 'Gunpowder Plot' explanation since it is less complicated than the alternatives and sounds more plausible.💥 Jus' sayin'!

[@sandyago4735]

I appreciate your scholarship. Thank you for sharing

[@alexc8209]

my uncle was a Jewish East ender, he said that all the savvy eastenders would try and learn to play an instrument because there was always someone who would give a little money to listen to a tune (this was a pre radio philosophy) and it meant that no matter how hard up you were if you could play something then you had a chance. Also it makes sense that you need a big warm (and relatively expensive) coat in England but you wouldnt need it everyday so its the perfect item to be pawned.

[@teacherjeremyford6625]

One of the great things about poetry and songs is that their words can carry more than one meaning at a time.

[@humboldthammer]

BS makes Scents. Bias makes Cents, even if it doesn't make Sense. See also: Be us and Buy us. The Joy of Homophones -- words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Such as: too, to, and two. knew and new. KZbin and EweToo(baa')

[@staffordcrombie566]

There is a word in English 'Evolution' and another 'adaptation or adaption, over time melodies may be repurposed as the words lyrics fall out of use or relevance to the people at any particular time. So chasing backwards we should not be surprised that anything older than a generation probably is much older still and has had many uses. In a similar way we can experience 'covers' of older songs across multiple genre that may become very popular in another genre or style. The best thoughtful thing we can do is to experience the different interpretations and enjoy the progress of the underlying, (modern word,) 'meme'.

[@iainmulholland2025]

Missed you! 😍 I'm always interested in how you find these gems and as always your voice gives me a lift, thank you!

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you, I'm so happy to be back! :) Thank you for making my day brighter with your comment 🖤

[@mjrchapin]

I ran across a site that had verse after verse, at least 50 it seemed, with some annotations that would be meaningless to Americans It is definitely an ear-worm; once you hear it the song's embedded in your brain. Thanks for shedding some light on this!

[@OwlingDogDesign]

Hello! Awesome presentation! Hope you're feeling better...🌙🙏🐀

[@dennistate5953]

I think you're a genie. Err, genius. ❤

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much :) 🖤

[@tamarrajames3590]

Sorry I am late to the party…it has been a crazy few weeks, and I’m trying to catch up, or at least not fall any further behind. I enjoyed your various possibilities of deeper meaning here, and I suspect that more than one are carrying pieces of the answer, as the song was so widespread, over quite a period of time and place. With so many people singing it, which verses were emphasised could account for who it was being performed, and what the message of the day was. Secrets in plain view. Thank you.🖤🇨🇦

[@Blinkerd00d]

I remember when I was in elementary school, we went on a field trip to Jamestown, Williamsburg, and to Monticello..... they told us the song was about the bobbin on the yarn spinner, as you referenced in the video.

[@martinsmith1820]

thank you Sarah

[@D.Fay_Coe]

that was brilliant. darklings rule. Perhaps it stems from both theories, it started as related to king james and then was sort of handed down to the working class of london.

[@andybeans5790]

I think it could have started as a polemic against James and then become a Cockney street song through altered verses

[@mn0g0nm]

I love that this classic ice cream truck song has always been a classic street banger cranked out on insanely obnoxious instruments, provoking yoots to ruckus throughout the ages

[@MegaWaylander]

Interesting content, very informative. New sub, well done creator 👏

[@TheEnigman]

It probably originated during James the first's reign but like any song that lasts a long time in an illiterate population it changed and evolved to suit the needs of the time. There are many songs and stories that have changed over time as part of an oral history long before they were written down. There have been theories that Homer's Illiad originated elsewhere before being written down as the stories we know today. The Greek's weren't known for single combat as portrayed but other tribes around them were and it made for a good story to be recounted in theatres.

[@Armyjay]

I knew this due to the fact i lived on the actual City Road, opposite the Stick & Weasel pub and a hundred yards up the road from the Eagle Pub. I saw the lyrics on the outside of the pub and it piqued my interest, which led me to look into it all.

[@dawnsalois]

I think it was a dance, but the later lyrics seem to talk about poverty. When I was little in Montana we would sing Around around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey stopped to pull up his sock, Pop goes the weasel. No penny for a spool of thread, no penny for a needle, but that's the way the money goes. Pop goes the weasel. I always thought when I was little it was odd to sing about somebody being too poor to buy needle and thread. But I was a weird kid and thought a lot of childhood tales were a little creepy, and why people thought these were suitable for kids.

[@huddunlap3999]

Fun as always.

[@HitomiKitage]

Great video! Thank you for all the work you put into these for us! There's the research then making the video, editing, and posting! We're not worthy! (But we'll take it! LOL) This is all so freaking fascinating.

[@NordicDan]

I hummed it while having a large cyst excised from my scalp years ago. The doc had to tell me to stop because I was making him laugh and he didn't want his hands to shake from it 🤣

[@HesterKatoJoubert]

👍😂

[@troyallen8223]

Monkey chasing the weasel -monkey being the work Smith and the weasel being either the few with money or the many with no money. I hope you never stop doing these😊😊😊👍🏼

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Your support means everything to me, thank you! 🖤

[@troyallen8223]

@@The-Resurrectionists Thank You very much 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🥳

[@carolescutt2257]

Us darklings do appreciate your huge entertaining and eye opening efforts xxx

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Thank you so much! And I really appreciate you being here :) 🖤

[@ThePsiclone]

No I never thought about it. I just assumed they had a problem with exploding Weasels. It's a shocking problem to have, Weasels running around exploding all over the place, makes a terrible mess.

[@philipr1567]

If the weasel ate all the rice and treacle it probably would explode!

[@deboralee1623]

exploding weasels. now _that's_ worthy of a Python sketch. oh, wait, the boys already did something like that, only involving the penguin on the telly. and leave us not forget the "How not to be seen" routine. okay, 86 the exploding weasels. so to speak.

[@mn0g0nm]

I asked what this was about in toddler music class, the teacher was used to having to explain lyrics to me at that point, she did her best, but that woman did not have the answers I was seeking & we both knew it

[@Voodoomaria]

08:47 The high consumption of alcohol among the poorer classes had another very valid and practical reason. Lack of available safe drinking water. As the narrative already pointed out these slums were rife with cholera, and many other water-born contagions. You took your life in your hands by drinking water OR bathing in these areas. BEER however was safe, as was gin. They made a relatively inexpensive and safe source of hydration. Chronic inebriation was just a side effect of STAYING ALIVE. It was all very well and good for social reformers, and temperance advocates to condemn the over-reliance on alcohol, BUT they offered NO safe alternative to the toxic drinking water.

[@saxon6]

If you read Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London he pawns his coat often for wine money.

[@1969lumbee]

Love your work. All the best.

[@The-Resurrectionists]

I'm thrilled to hear that! Thank you for your support 🖤

[@jackiebga]

At first glance I saw a weasel and Mick Jagger when this came up in my feed. Perhaps he was a street musician with a m😅Mikey in another life?

[@jaminegender5748]

I saw Mick Jagger too. Lol

[@The-Resurrectionists]

Love it! 😂