[WARNING: This song contains antiquated racial stereotypes. It is presented here for historical and educational purposes only.]
A popular song from 1859.
creator unknown
published by Stephen T. Gordon
Information from the book Popular Songs of Nineteenth Century America: This may have been an old English dance tune without any lyrics. The 1859 version is no longer totally familiar. The text is a curious mixture of comedy verses for the minstrel stage, passages satirizing English social and political attitudes, directions for dancing, and finally topical references to the temperance movement and the World’s Fair.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Werner Tomaschewski:
Lyrics
1. When de night walks in, as black as a sheep
And de hen and her eggs am fast asleep
Den into her nest with a sarpent’s creep
“Pop goes de Weasel!”
Ob all de dance dat ebber was planned
To galvinize de heel and de hand
Dar’s none dat moves so gay and grand
As “Pop goes de Weasel!”
De lover, when he pants through fear
To pop de question to his dear
He joins dis dance, den in her ear
“Pop goes de Weasel!”
2. John Bull tells, in de ole cow’s hum
How Uncle Sam used Uncle Tom
While he makes some white slaves at home
By “Pop goes de Weasel!”
He talkes about a friendly trip
To Cuba in a steam warship
But Uncle Sam may make him skip
By “Pop goes de Weasel!”
He’s sending forth his iron hounds
To bark us off de fishin’ – grounds
He’d best beware of Freedom’s sounds
Ob “Pop goes de Weasel!”
3. De Temperance folks from Souf to Main
Against all liquor spout and strain
But when dey feels an ugly pain
Den “Pop goes de Weasel!”
All New York in rush now whirls
Whar de World’s Fair its flag unfurls
But de best World’s Fair am when our girls
Dance “Pop goes de Weasel!”
Den form two lines as straight as a string
Dance in and out, den three in a ring
Dive under like de duck, and sing
“Pop goes de Weasel!”
4. Queen Victoria’s very sick
Napoleon’s got the measels
Sebastopol is won at last
“Pop goes de Weasel!”
All around the Cobbler’s house
The Monkey chased the people
The Minister kissed the Deacon’s wife
Pop went the Weasel
A penny for a ball of thread
A farthing for a needle
That’s the way the money goes
“Pop goes de Weasel!”
Sung here by Fred Feild: