Itsy Bitsy Spider

This article is about the nursery rhyme. For other uses, see Itsy Bitsy Spider (disambiguation).

"Itsy Bitsy Spider" singing game

"The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "The Incey Wincey Spider" in Australia ^[1] or "Incy Wincy Spider" in the United Kingdom, ^[2] and other anglophone countries) is a popular nursery rhyme, folksong, and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends, and re-ascends the downspout or "waterspout" of a gutter system or open-air reservoir. It is usually accompanied by a sequence of gestures that mimic the words of the song. Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 11586.

Lyrics

A commonly used version uses these words and gestures: ^[3]

Words	Fingerplay
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout. Down came the rain And washed the spider out. Out came the sun And dried up all the rain And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.	Alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other. Hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers as the hands are lowered. Sweep the hands from side to side. Raise both hands and sweep to the sides to form a semicircle as the sun. Wiggle fingers upwards. (As in the first line)

Other versions exist.

Origin

While the exact origin for the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is unknown, a version recorded in 1909 in Indiana from a college commencement more closely resembles the most common modern version: ^[4]

There was a blooming spider
Went up a blooming spout
And down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
But that bloody blooming son of a gun
Went up that spout again

The song can also be found in later publications including an alternative version in the book, Camp and Camino in Lower California (1910), where it is referred to as [the classic] "Spider Song". ^[5] It appears to be a different version of this song using "blooming, bloody" instead of "itsy bitsy". One of the song's several modern versions eventually appeared in Western Folklore , by the California Folklore Society (1948), ^[6] Mike and Peggy Seeger's, American Folk Songs for Children (1948). ^[7]

The song is sung by and for children in countless languages and cultures. It is similar to the melodies of the children's songs "Sweetly Sings the Donkey" in the United States, and "Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer  [ de ]", "Ich bin ein kleiner Esel" (the German-language version of "Sweetly Sings the Donkey") and "Spannenlanger Hansel  [ de ]" in German-speaking countries.

Score

Source ^[8]

Legacy

The British broadcaster Wincey Willis (1948–2024) took her name from the nursery rhyme. Born Florence Winsome Leighton, she went by her middle name, Winsome; but at infant school her classmates started calling her Wincey after the nursery rhyme, and she retained this name in adult life. ^[9]

References

1. "Watervale Notes". The Northern Argus . Clare, South Australia. 21 December 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 8 July 2023– via Trove.
2. "Nursery rhymes and songs: Incy wincy spider". BBC School Radio . Retrieved 8 July 2023.
3. "Words to The Itsy Bitsy Spider". www.datsplat.com.
4. "Evening Session, Thursday, February 15, 1912". Proceedings of the Convention of the Indiana Sanitary and Water Supply Association – Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Convention. 15 February 1912. p.  105.
5. North, Arthur Walbridge (1910). Camp and Camino in Lower California. New York: The Baker & Taylor Company. pp.  279–280. OL   7019377M – via Internet Archive.
6. Hansen, Marian (January 1948). "Children's Rhymes Accompanied by Gestures". Western Folklore . 7 (1): 53 (50–53). doi:10.2307/1496690. JSTOR   1496690.
7. "Search result 'spider spout'". Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Archived from the original on 15 March 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
8. "Itsy Bitsy Spider", sheet music, makingmusicfun.net
9. Spencer-Elliott, Lydia (19 June 2025). "Wincey Willis death: ITV's first female weather forecaster dies aged 76 after dementia diagnosis". The Independent . Retrieved 22 June 2025.