Incy Wincy Spider Nursery Rhyme Has A Dark Meaning That’s Not Kid-Friendly At All

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The nursery rhyme “Incy Wincy Spider” contains a sinister undertone that is not appropriate for children at all.

Most of us have realised as we’ve become older that some of our favourite rhymes from childhood are actually quite nasty.

Whereas “Ring Around the Rosie” is about the thousands of individuals who died during the Great Plague of London in 1665, “Rain Rain Go Away” closes with the elderly man passing away.

People are now learning the sinister meaning behind another well-known nursery song.

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For those who need reminding of how ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ goes, it is: “Incy Wincy 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, and Incy Wincy Spider went up the spout again.”

The nursery rhyme, however, is actually based on a very ominous hymn from just after the American Civil War.

The music of this song, “Tipsy Dipsy Hobo,” is reminiscent of “Incy Wincy Spider.”

The song goes along the lines of: “The Tipsy Dipsy Hobo drinks from the lager spout, here comes the train it knocks the hobo out.

“Out comes a man to pick up all the brains, but a Tipsy Dipsy Hobo drinks from the spout again.”

The history of this song dates back to a time when trains were gaining popularity and the poor tried to jump onto them as they moved to get around, usually while intoxicated.

The lyrics have been further broken down by TikTok user @my_man_jackie.

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He explains: “It turns out that the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ is an incredibly dark metaphor for alcoholism.

“When it talks about crawling up the water spout, it talks about the fact the man starts drinking.

“And when it talks about down comes the rain and it washed the spider out, it means he drunk too much and it’s finished him off.”

He ended his video by adding that the song originates from ‘Tipsy Dipsy Hobo’ before claiming it became a nursery rhyme to stop children from drinking.

People have taken to social media to discuss the meaning behind ‘Incy Wincy Spider’, along with other nursery rhymes.

One person says: “I thought it was a metaphor.

“The spider being the lower class striving to climb the social ladder.

“The rain being the upper class. And the sun being hope.”

A second user adds: “Most nursery rhymes are dark and have a different meaning.”

It turns out that this seemingly innocent nursery rhyme has a considerably deeper connotation than you might have thought.

Having said that, it appears that the most well-known tunes we would sing as kids have a sinister history.