Rub-a-dub-dub

"Rub A Dub Dub" is a nursery rhyme.

Lyrics

The oldest known printed version from the 14th century goes:

:Hey! Rub-a-dub-dub! Ho! Rub-a-dub-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!

This is interpreted as describing otherwise respectable tradesmen attending a peep-show. [cite web
last = Roberts | first = Chris
authorlink =
coauthors = Elliott, Deborah
title = Reason Behind the Rhyme: Rub-a-Dub-Dub
work = All Things Considered
publisher = National Public Radio
date = 2005-12-03
url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5038237
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2006-09-07 ] [cite book
last = Roberts
first = Chris
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme. 2nd edition
publisher = Penguin Books, Ltd.
date = 2005
location =
pages = 21
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 1-59240-130-9]

Another version runs:

:Rub a dub dub,:Three men in a tub,:And who do you think they be?:The butcher, the baker,:The candlestick maker.:Turn them out, knaves all three!

The use of "be" instead of "are" may be an early modern English variant, an example of the subjunctive mood, or simply poetic license to achieve a rhyme. A knave is a journeyman or apprentice.

An alternative ending line is::They all sailed out to sea.

A further alternative version exists which seems to be popular more in the United States than in the other English speaking countries. It goes as follows:

: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 tomato! :T'was enough to make a fish stare.

Though recently the word fish is sometimes replaced with the word man. Also, "potato" commonly replaces "tomato." Yet another version goes::Rub-a-dub-dub:Three men in a tub,:The butcher, the baker, the candle stick maker,:If their boat had been stronger:My story would have been longer.

References in Popular Culture

The phrase "rub-a-dub-dub" appears on page 00059 of the 4th edition of the Principia Discordia in the following Sri Syadastian chant:

:RUB-A-DUB-DUB:O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Hung Mung.:SYA-DASTI:RUB-A-DUB-DUB:O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Mo-jo.:SYA-DAVAK-TAVYA:RUB-A-DUB-DUB:O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Zara-thud.:SYA-DASTI SYA-NASTI:RUB-A-DUB-DUB:O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Elder Mal.:SYA-DASTI KAVAK-TAV-YASKA:RUB-A-DUB-DUB:O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Gulik.:SYA-DASTI, SYA-NASTI, SYA-DAVAK-TAV-YASKA:O! Hail Eris. All Hail Discordia.:RUB-A-DUB-DUB

Rub-A-Dub was adopted in Jamaican music as the name for the early D.J. "chatting" or "toasting" which later became known as Dancehall. It primarily refers to roots music mixed in a dub style, over which the D.J. talks or sings.

Jazz artist and composer Arianna Fanning most recently made the song popular by superimposing the chord changes to John Coltrane's "Countdown" under the melody. The hit achieved instant success and is now ranked among the highest jazz singles released in the 21st century.

References