Lyrics
This rhyme exists in many variations. Among those current today is:Rub-a-dub-dub, Three men in a tub, And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, And all of them out to sea.
Origins and meaning
The earliest versions of this rhyme published differ significantly in their wording. Dating back to the 14th century,Chris RobertsIn the original version as it appeared both in England and in the United States (Boston) the song was talking about three maids instead of three men. Later research, according to ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (1951), suggests that the lyrics are illustrating a scene of three respectable townsfolk "watching a dubious sideshow at a local fair". By around 1830 the reference to maids was being removed from the versions printed in nursery books. In 1842Hey! rub-a-dub, ho! rub-a-dub, three maids in a tub, And who do you think were there? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker, And all of them gone to the fair. I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 447.
On a 1958 vinyl album of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes y Caedmonwith Boris Karloff, he sings a different version of the song that goes like this:Rub a dub dub, Three fools in a tub, And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, The candlestick maker. Turn them out, knaves all three.
Rub a dub dub, Three men in a tub, And how do you think they got there? The butcher, the baker, The candlestick maker. They all jumped out of a rotten potato, Was enough to make a man stare.
In popular culture
There are several variants of the following story:A pilot returning from a mission could not locate his aircraft carrier and in addition failed to establishSome memoirs claim it was a real incident.''The Escort Carriers In Action: The Story, In Pictures, Of The Escort Carrier Force, US Pacific Fleet, 1945'' (Atlanta, Ruralist Press, 1946) p.95.secure communication Secure communication is when two entities are communicating and do not want a third party to listen in. For this to be the case, the entities need to communicate in a way that is unsusceptible to eavesdropping or interception. Secure communication .... So he circled around the formation and radioed: "Rub a dub dub, where is my tub?" And received: "Hey Diddle Diddle "Hey Diddle Diddle" (also "Hi Diddle Diddle", "The Cat and the Fiddle", or "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon") is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19478. Lyrics and music A version of the rhyme is Hey diddle diddl ...! Right here in the middle!"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rub-A-Dub-Dub English nursery rhymes English folk songs English children's songs Traditional children's songs Songwriter unknown Year of song unknown