Pop Goes the Weasel?

Hello, people.

Welcome to Day 16.

We had some wintry weather up here in the Northeast last night. Not my fave, but I’ve got you guys to help pull me through. (-:

So…age 16?

C’mon, I know you remember it. Some of it, maybe?

Well, if you’re blessed (sometimes cursed!) with a good memory, you probably can recall more than you think. Sure, we’ve all got bigger fish to fry these days, but think about taking a minute out to try this with me. Yeah, focus on anything you can to call up a fun, happy, scary – weird even – memory. While you’re thinking, OK if I share a weird one?

So, I used to babysit for these two brothers. Yes, as I’ve often said/written during our time together, I wasn’t exactly the social animal of my high school. Given that, I did my best to improvise, filling up my time with a few odd jobs here and there, gutting through wrestling practice and babysitting for some of my parents’ friends.

These two brothers, ages 7 and 5 (yes, fairly young to be watched over by a relatively then-clueless teen who had just gotten his driver’s license) lived not far from me, and I used to sit for them regularly.

The younger one loved to read. (Smart kid, reading that well at that age.)

One of his favorites, ironically, a pop-up book, chronicled the story of a monkey and a weasel, with the former chasing the latter all around a grassy area that included a mulberry bush.

Even at age 16, I figured a weasel would have the edge there, being able to hide and dig and burrow into the ground a lot faster than a monkey ever could. It’s not like it kept me up at night, but I did think about it. I mean did the monkey ever catch him? Did he corner him? (Jesus, did he even kill him, maybe?) The sing-song lyrics and the book itself never really made it clear.

Now, decades later, I figured it was time I knew the truth, or, at least, tried to find some version of it.

So, I checked it out.

Back in 1853, William Miller and Joseph Beacham established a music publishing company that bore each founder’s name. That same year, the two men published the sheet music for “Pop Goes the Weasel.” (NOTE: Less than a decade later, the Baltimore, MD-based organization would go on to become one of the most well-known music publishers of the American Civil War.)

As for the song, that ultimately inspired books, dances and even served as the music for many jack-in-the-box toys over the years, there aren’t many hard and fast facts about it available. In fact, no single person is accredited with having written it. Instead, it’s recognized as a variation of a 17^th century tune called “The Haymakers.”

Back in 19^th Century England, the word “pop” was well-known slang for pawning something. And in the slang, known as “Cockney rhyming slang,” weasel means “weasel and stoat” or simply “coat.” So, if your plan was to “pop the weasel,” you were probably looking to pawn your coat.

And that’s not all.

History also tells us that the rhyme itself may have actually been written about poverty, pawnbroking, the minimum wage and late-night trips to the Eagle Tavern in London. Not exactly suitable for kids, huh?

As for our friend the weasel, I think it’s safe to say that he didn’t have to die a horrible death at the hands of the monkey. He just had to give up his coat.

Like I said, weird.

See you for our official halfway mark tomorrow.

JFish

@Copyright 2024 by John L. Fischer