“Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “Incy Wincy Spider” is a modern nursery rhyme popular among children across the United States and the United Kingdom as well (where Incy Wincy is more commonly used).
The origin of this song is not known, but it was first published in 1920, more as a song for adults in “Camp and camino in lower California” with the words “blooming, bloody” instead of “itsy bitsy”.
The actual version of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” was later printed in 1947 by the California Folklore Society in the Western Folklore collection. It appears as a nursery rhyme in 1948 in the American Folk Songs for Children a collection by Mike and Peggy Seeger, and in 1955 in Maxwell Slutz Stewart’ book “The Growing Family: A Guide for Parents”.
Itsy Bitsy Spider Finger Play
“Itsy Bitsy Spider”, more often recited than sung, is a finger-play rhyme for children. It tells the adventures of a Spider, named Itsy Bitsy (or Incy Wincy – more popular in England) who is going up and down, and up again, as the weather is chaining. The kids have to mimic its movements while singing the song, a very entertaining activity, useful to improve their manual dexterity.
The rhyme has more than one accepted versions as it follows:
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” Lyrics
“The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout.
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,
and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again”
In other versions, “crawled” is replaced with “climbed” or” went”
“Incy Wincy Spider” Alternative Version
Incy Wincy spider climbing up the spout.
Down came the rain, and washed poor Incy out.
Up came the sun, and dried up all the rain
And Incy Wincy spider went climbing up again.