Originally posted by: Moonbeam
It's just increadible the amazing stuff you can learn clicking on people's links such as the one above for treacle:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Pop Goes the Weasel" is a nursery rhyme which dates back to 17th-century England, and was spread across the Empire by colonists.
There are many different versions of the lyrics to this song. Most share the basic verse:
Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That?s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Or the alternate verses:
Up and down the City road, (Also seen as "Up and down the King's Highway")
In and out the Eagle,
That?s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
For you may try to sew and sew,
But you'll never make anything regal,
That?s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
In both England and the English colonies, verses have been added, some humorous and others serious:
All around the mulberry bush,
the monkey chased the weasel,
The dog, he thought 'twas all in fun.
' Pop! goes the weasel.
or...
round and round the cobblers bench,
the monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun.
' Pop! goes the weasel.
A penny for a spool of thread,
A penny for a needle.
That?s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
]
Interpretations
Due to the obscure slang and cryptic "pop goes the weasel" reference in the rhyme there is considerable controversy over its meaning.
The original theme of the rhyme seems to have been a darkly humorous portrait of the cycle of poverty of workers in the East End of London. The 'weasel' probably refer to a spinners weasel, a mechanical yarn measuring device consisting of a spoked wheel with an internal ratcheting mechanism that clicks every two revolutions and makes a "pop" sound after the desired length of yarn is measured. "Pop goes the weasel" in this meaning describes the repetitve sound of a machine governing the tedious work of textile workers toiling for subsistence wages. In the context of the rhyme then the first three lines of each verse describe various ways of spending ones meager wages, with "Pop goes the weasel" indicating a return to unpleasant labor.
Alternatively, if 'pop goes the weasel' is taken as cockney rhyming slang, the 'weasel' that goes 'pop' is an item of value that the worker pawns, probably after spending the week's wages (always given on a Saturday). Cockney rhyming slang uses 'Pop' meaning to pawn or to redeem a pawned item, while the word 'weasel' means 'coat' (derived from weasel and stoat). If this meaning is taken the rhyme describes the blowing of the week's wages on staples and drink, and the pawning of the workers' only valuable items - the 'Sunday best' clothing - on Sunday evening or Monday morning, to survive until next Saturday's wage packet.
The Eagle is a pub on the City Road in London.
Rice and treacle are cheap and filling subsistence foodstuffs. One piece of research suggests that the pricing of these staples corresponds better to the mid-late 19th century, and that the 'Up and Down the City Road' version is therefore probably the original.
"Monkey" is believed to be a nineteenth century term for a public house drinking vessel. A 'stick' is a shot of alcohol, while 'knock it off' is to drink it. Therefore, this is a description of drinking in the pub. The later reference in the song to the monkey chasing people around the workplace might well describe longing for a drink while working, or perhaps while penniless right before payday.
"Pop Goes the Weasel" is featured prominently in the soundtrack to the 1960s TV series, The Prisoner. In the context of the series, the word "POP" is said to be an acronym for the phrase "Protect Other People."
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