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Itsy Bitsy Spider





LYRICS

In the US this rhyme is known as Itsy Bitsy Spider. In the UK it is known as Incy Wincy Spider. It is often chanted rather than sung. Recitation of the rhyme is often combined with actions representing the words. For the first (and last) line, alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other. For "Down came the rain" hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers as you lower the hands. For "washed the spider out" sweep the hands to the side. For the third line bring both hands up and then to the sides to sweep out a semi-circle (the sun). Then wiggle the fingers upwards (to show the rain drying in the sun), and repeat the thumb/index finger movement to indicate the spider climbing up the spout.

There are various versions of the lyrics:

:The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
:Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.
:Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain
:So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
(Some versions have ''went'' instead of ''climbed''.)
Another version:

:Incy wincy spider climbing up the spout.
:Down came the rain, and washed poor Incy out.
:Out came the sunshine, and dried up all the rain
:So Incy wincy spider climbs up the spout again.
There are many additional verses which are less well-known:

:Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the tree.
:Down came the snow and made poor Incy freeze.
:Out came the sunshine, and melted all the snow
:So Incy Wincy Spider had another go.

:Incy wincy spider climbed up the stair.
:Whoosh went the wind and blew him in the air.
:Out came the sunshine, no longer did it blow
:So Incy Wincy spider had another go.

:Incy Wincy spider climbed up the tree
:He slipped in some dew and landed next to me.
:Out came the sunshine and when the dew was dry
:Incy Wincy spider had another try.

:Incy wincy spider climbed in the bath.
:Along came a rubber duck and made the spider laugh.
:Then came the water and washed him down the drain
:So Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout again.

:Incy Wincy spider climbed the curtain rail.
:Along came a mouse and flicked him with her tail.
:Down fell the spider, the mouse ran out the door
:So Incy Wincy Spider climbed the rail once more.

:Incy Wincy spider climbed to a height.
:Up jumped a cat and gave him quite a fright.
:Down jumped the cat and when he was asleep
:Incy Wincy Spider back up the wall did creep.

:Incy Wincy spider went to the zoo.
:Along came an elephant and said “How do you do.”
:He met all the spiders, the snakes and lizards too,
:Then Incy Wincy spider brought them to meet YOU.

:Incy wincy spider climbed on my chair.
:He tickled my arm and he tickled my hair.
:He wiggled his legs and wiggled his toes,
:Then Incy Wincy spider wiggled his nose.

:Incy Wincy spider climbed to the top.
:He made a silky web and spun without a stop.
:Then came a fly and landed on its back
:So Incy Wincy Spider ate it as a snack.

:Incy Wincy spider was looking for his lunch.
:Along came a wasp, he was eaten with a munch.
:Then came a bluebottle and landed in the thread
:So Incy Wincy spider bit off his head.

:Incy Wincy spider climbed up the wall.
:He spun a sticky web and hoped a fly would fall.
:Then came a butterfly, so tangled up was she,
:Incy Wincy Spider ate her for his tea.

  • --- ---

  • The MAD magazine had a version concerned with new environmental changes. It went something like this (please edit to the right words):


Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the water spout

the acid rain came down and washed the spider out.

Down came the sunshine through the ozone hole

and cooked Itsy Bitsy spider into spider casserole.


MOVIE


''The Itsy-Bitsy Spider'' is also the title of an animated short (later made into a full series) released in 1992 with the movie Bebe's Kids . It featured Frank Welker as the title character, and Jim Carrey as the Exterminator.

Loosely based on the rhyme, the spider in question is the friend of a young girl who is taking piano lessons from a very strict Instructor (incidentally, she's learning to play the actual rhyme). When the Instructor is frightened by itsy, she calls an Exterminator, that uses more and more extreme measures to try to kill Itsy, most of which end up causing pain and destruction to the Instructor's home, cat, and the Exterminator himself, which turns out to be a heavily-armed Android . The Exterminator's methods begin to get even more extreme, escalating from poison and vacuums to guns and explosives, until the Instructor's house is eventually blown up. Itsy is finally reunited with the girl (who had the sense to get out of the house before the Flamethrower s came out), and they go home.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider was eventually made into an animated series on the USA Network .

"Itsy-Bitsy" is the name of a character on the Thumb Wrestling Federation .


IN POPULAR CULTURE


  • The original "Itsy Bitsy spider" is credited in 1962.

  • California Folklore Society sang it for Western Folklore in 1947.

  • Bart Simpson sings it to Patty and Selma in '' The Simpsons '' season 4 episode " Lisa's First Word " (December 3, 1992).

  • Nicole Kidman 's character in the movie '' Dead Calm '' sings it to her son at the beginning of the film.

  • '' Dora The Explorer '' covered a small version (1:36) of "Itsy Bitsy spider".

  • Ariel Gade 's character Cecilia sings it in the movie '' Dark Water ''.

  • Carly Simon made a cross-over song between "Itsy Bitsy spider" and her own " Coming Around Again " for her album ''Coming Around Again'' in 1987 and on the soundtrack ''Heartburn'' in 1986.

  • Ike Broflovski sings this song for an audition in the episode " Something You Can Do With Your Finger " on '' South Park ''.

  • Ben Vereen sang it in the 1990 movie '' Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme ''.

  • Musician Ralph Covert recorded the song for his children's band Ralph's World. The song includes additional verses about the "great big hairy spider" and the "teensy weensy spider".

  • The lyrics to "Itsy Bitsy spider" are thrown in backwards at the end of The Mars Volta 's song "Eunuch Provocateur" on their Tremulant EP of 2002 .

  • A macabre version of the song is performed by Joey DeLuxe for the soundtrack of '' Eight Legged Freaks '' in 2002.

  • Maxwell Slutz Stewart covered it for "The Growing Family" and "A Guide for Parents" in 1955.

  • Detlef Cordes covered a small version (0:56) of "Itsy Bitsy spider".

  • EliZe covered the refrain of "Itsy Bitsy spider" for her 3:11 same-named song for the album ''In Control''.

  • Raffi and Barney covered Itsy Bitsy in a small version of 1:03.

  • Aqua covered the song titled with Z, " Itzy Bitzy Spider ", in 1995 as a single in Scandinavia .

  • The Green Goblin makes his own version of the song in the movie ''Spider-Man'' .



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