My father-in-law was trying to sing “Pop Goes the Weasel” to Poppy this afternoon, but he couldn’t remember the words. I tried to help him out:

‘Round and ’round the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey stopped to pull up his sock.
Pop goes the weasel.

My mother-in-law very emphatically disagreed with my sock-wearing-monkey version. Here are her lyrics:

‘Round and ’round the cobbler’s bench
the monkey chased the weasel
Monkey thought ’twas all in fun
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.

Tom, who started this whole debate, says it’s “A penny for a loaf of bread.” He added, in typical Tom fashion, “That was 18th Century. That’s what Ben Franklin paid. And charged. When he opened his own bakery.”

But the National Institutes of Health — and I’m so glad they’re weighing in on the issue — agree with Genia:

Round and round the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought ’twas all in fun
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.

A half a pound of tupenny rice,
A half a pound of treacle.
Mix it up and make it nice,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Up and down the London road,
In and out of the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

I’ve no time to plead and pine,
I’ve no time to wheedle,
Kiss me quick and then I’m gone
Pop! Goes the weasel.

So it appears that I was wrong. At least, as far as THE MAN is concerned. And, it seems, as far as Wikipedia is concerned. I can’t find any reference to the monkey and his droopy sock or to Ben Franklin’s bakery. The Wikipedia entry does have several other alternate lyrics listed, though. Here’s my favorite:

Ev’ry night, when I come home,
The monkey’s on the table.
I take a stick and knock him off,
Pop! goes the weasel.

I’m sure I didn’t make up the sock monkey lyrics. Someone out there must know where it came from. How do you sing “Pop Goes the Weasel”?