Taking Apart The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Have you ever read ALL the words to the children’s nursery rhyme song, The Itsy Bitsy Spider? If not, take just a minute to read the COMPLETE lyrics now.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy (Eensy Weensy Spider or Incy Wincy Spider) spider
Climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the kitchen wall
Swoosh! went the fan
And made the spider fall
Off went the fan
No longer did it blow
So the itsy bitsy spider
Back up the wall did go

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the yellow pail
In came a mouse
And flicked her with his tail
Down fell the spider
The mouse ran out the door
Then the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the pail once more

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the rocking chair
Up jumped a cat
And knocked her in the air
Down plopped the cat
And when she was asleep
The itsy bitsy spider
Back up the chair did creep

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the maple tree
She slipped on some dew
And landed next to me
Out came the sun
And when the tree was dry
The itsy bitsy spider
Gave it one more try

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up without a stop
She spun a silky web
Right at the very top
She wove and she spun
And when her web was done
The itsy bitsy spider
Rested in the sun

The Itsy Bitsy Spider nursery rhyme song has been around since the early 1900’s and originally was known as the “Spider Song” and there were also more adult versions that called her “the blooming, bloody spider” throughout the song. That’s really funny to me! Anyway, this nursery rhyme song is popular not only for the visual lyrics, but also the finger motions that accompany it.

With each verse the finger motions are as follows:

Line 1: Alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other as if your fingers are the legs of a spider that are walking.

Line 2: Hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers as the hands are lowered to represent the spider falling.

Line 3: Sweep the hands from side to side to represent the physical movement.

Line 4: Raise both hands and sweep to the sides to form a circle like the sun.

Line 5: Wiggle fingers upwards to represent the move up again.

Line 6: Alternately touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other as if your fingers are the legs of a spider that are walking.

You’ve probably either done these motions as a child or with children. It’s a cute little nursery rhyme song and the finger actions are fun if you’re a child and even fun to do with a child. Their little faces are so attentive to your every move and they get so involved with the motions of the spider.

Lesson Learned From The Itsy Bitsy Spider

I broke down the very popular children’s nursery rhyme song because it is actually a VERY motivating and inspiring song.

Who is the song about?
1st line of every verse is the same…

The itsy bitsy spider

It is quite clear that the entire nursery rhyme song is about a cute and tiny itsy bitsy spider. That is if you believe there can be a cute spider regardless of the size. Of course, my daughter and niece think there are no such things as cute spiders.

What did The Itsy Bitsy Spider do?

2nd line of each verse…
1. Climbed up the waterspout
2. Climbed up the kitchen wall
3. Climbed up the yellow pail
4. Climbed up the rocking chair
5. Climbed up the maple tree
6. Climbed up without a stop

The 2nd line of each verse in The Itsy Bitsy Spider is the action that the spider made in order to progress higher up to her goal. The spider kept climbing up and up and up. She started off small with the waterspout and ended up climbing to the top of a maple tree.

What happened to the Itsy Bitsy Spider?

3rd and 4th lines of each verse…
1. Down came the rain And washed the spider out
2. Swoosh! went the fan And made the spider fall
3. In came a mouse And flicked her with his tail
4. Up jumped a cat And knocked her in the air
5. She slipped on some dew And landed next to me
6. She spun a silky web Right at the very top

The 3rd and 4th lines of each verse in The Itsy Bitsy Spider is the action that happened to the spider because she climbed up toward her goal. Each time the itsy bitsy spider made progress toward her goal, something happened to knock her ALL THE WAY back down to where she had started.

Then what happened to the Itsy Bitsy Spider?

5th and 6th lines of each verse…
1. Out came the sun And dried up all the rain
2. Off went the fan No longer did it blow
3. Down fell the spider The mouse ran out the door
4. Down plopped the cat And when she was asleep
5. Out came the sun And when the tree was dry
6. She wove and she spun And when her web was done

The 5th and 6th lines of each verse in The Itsy Bitsy Spider explain what happened because of the events that made the itsy bitsy spider fall. The itsy bitsy spider was deterred from her goal and that caused a ripple effect to the world around her.

Reminder to us, who is the song about?

7th line of every verse is the same.

The itsy bitsy spider

Once again we are reminded that the entire nursery rhyme song is about a cute and tiny itsy bitsy spider. This reiterates the visual image of the itsy bitsy spider. It also goes a step further to make it very clear to you that the spider was not defeated. She was deterred from her goal, but she is still living another day to try again.

What was the result for all the Itsy Bitsy Spider’s actions?

8th line of each verse…
1. Climbed up the spout again
2. Back up the wall did go
3. Climbed up the pail once more
4. Back up the chair did creep
5. Gave it one more try
6. Rested in the sun

The 8th line of each verse in The Itsy Bitsy Spider tells us that just because the itsy bitsy spider keeps getting knocked down, she gets back up and refuses to give up. She tries again and again to accomplish her goal.

How did it end for the Itsy Bitsy Spider?

The last verse of the song is very telling…

By now the itsy bitsy spider has become our hero. The itsy bitsy spider doesn’t just climb, she climbs up without stopping. That’s really important to remember. The itsy bitsy spider kept getting up and starting over, but in the last verse we see that she is even more determined than ever before to succeed. She climbs up without a stop all the way to the top of the maple tree where she spins a silky web until her masterpiece was completely finished and her goal was reached. After reaching her goal, the itsy bitsy spider celebrates her success by resting in the sun.

That’s EXACTLY the perfect formula for success in life, relationships and business.

You set a goal that you constantly work towards. No matter what or who knocks you down or deters you from the goal, you just keep getting up to try again. Failure is just a momentary stop. It is not the final outcome. So you reassess the situation, refocus on your goal again, and once again work towards attaining the goal.

It doesn’t matter how many times you fall or fail as long as you keep getting up to try again. Regardless of the people that say terrible things ABOUT you, say mean things TO you, try to impede your progress with their ACTIONS, try to make you quit your journey to your goal with their NEGATIVE WORDS that continually plant the seeds of thought that you will not succeed, you and the itsy bitsy spider just need to keep trying to move up and forward.

Nothing can stop you EXCEPT YOU.

Your success depends on CONSTANTLY getting back up and trying to move forward.

No matter how GRIM the future may appear or the present may actually be, there is ONLY ONE WAY to change your current situation, accomplish your goal, and succeed.

How?

Keep on moving! Keep on trying! Keep getting up!

Just like the itsy bitsy spider who was able to finally rest in the sun after she wove and spun until her web was done, EVENTUALLY you WILL accomplish your goal and find success IF and ONLY IF you don’t quit.

Although you might have thought that The Itsy Bitsy Spider was JUST a cute little nursery rhyme song to keep children entertained with all the finger motions, it really teaches a very valuable lesson that we should ALL remember.

“It’s not over until you quit.”
~ Sherry Riter ~

Oh, by the way…The reason why I do not have a photograph of a REAL spider is because I’m just as terrified of spiders and bugs as my daughter and niece. At least I’m in good company. Besides, you get to enjoy my exceptional art work today! Dig the redhead spider? LOL