Itsy Bitsy Spider
"Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "Incy Wincy Spider" and several other similar sounding names) is a popular nursery rhyme and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends, and reascends the downspout or "waterspout" of a gutter system (or, alternatively, the spout of a teapot 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:
Other versions exist. The version in the video above, for example, says went instead of climbed.
Origins
The song can be found in publications including an alternate version in the book, Camp and Camino in Lower California (1910), where it was referred to as [the classic] "Spider Song". It appears to be a more different version of this song using “blooming, bloody” instead of just "itsy bitsy". It was later published in one of its several modern versions in Western Folklore, by the California Folklore Society (1948), Mike and Peggy Seeger's, American Folk Songs for Children (1948), and The Growing Family: A Guide for Parents by Maxwell Slutz Stewart (1955). In 2013 Maziar Bahari's company Off-Centre Productions created an animated version of the song featuring an animated mouse character called Journo.
