Ririro

Pop Goes the Weasel (Nursery Rhyme)

Summary


"Pop Goes the Weasel" is a lively nursery rhyme filled with playful, bouncing rhythm and a surprise "pop" that delights young listeners. Set around familiar Victorian scenes — a cobbler's bench, a city road, a market stall — a mischievous monkey chases a weasel through everyday errands and small purchases. The repeated refrain builds gleeful anticipation, making each verse feel like a tiny game. The rhyme captures the cheerful chaos of spending pennies and the simple, unpredictable fun of an ordinary day turned topsy-turvy.

Listen to audio


Read Online

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Up and down the City Road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Every night when I go out,
The monkey’s on the table,
Take a stick and knock it off,
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.

All around the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel;
The monkey thought ’twas all in fun,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

A cheeky monkey chases a weasel around a cobbler's bench in Pop Goes the Weasel
Add Ririro as a Preferred Source on Google
Related tags
, , , , , , ,

Credits

Ririro presents this beloved English nursery rhyme, widely sung since the mid-19th century. Originally popular in both England and America, its lyrics reflect Victorian working-class life, with references to London's City Road and the Eagle tavern. The phrase "pop goes the weasel" is thought to be Cockney rhyming slang for pawning a coat.