Melodies and Motifs: Children's Songs Again Quiz

Answer: Row Row Row Your Boat

"Row Row Row Your Boat" was first published in England in the mid 1800s. It can be sung in a round, with different singers singing the same song, offset by two bars.

Answer: Pop Goes the Weasel

"Pop Goes the Weasel" is another nursery rhyme from the mid 1800s in England. For such a short song, there are many lyrical variations. The common modern North American lyrics are "All around the mulberry bush," but older versions were "All around the cobbler's bench." The UK version is "Half a pound of tuppenny rice."

Answer: The Ants Go Marching

This song started as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," a song from the American Civil War. Just like "This Old Man," the song is usually listed as having ten verses.

Answer: Yankee Doodle (Went to Town)

This song was written by the English in the Seven Years War to disparage their simple American allies. A little while later, during the American Revolutionary War, the Americans adopted the song as a point of pride.

Answer: (Do You Know) The Muffin Man

"The Muffin Man" can be traced at least as far as the early 1800s in England. In the Dutch version, the man sells mussels (shellfish) instead.

Answer: If You're Happy and You Know It

The exact origins of "If You're Happy and You Know It" are not known. The modern, well-known version of the song was copyrighted in 1971 by Joe Raposo, who worked for the television show "Sesame Street."

Answer: Itsy Bitsy Spider

The "Itsy Bitsy Spider" has a few lyrical variations, including the "Incy Wincy Spider" and the "Eency Weency Spider." This song dates back to the early 1900s in the United States.

Answer: Bingo

The tune of "Bingo" can be traced back to the late 1700s in England. There have been many different versions of the lyrics since then, but even the earliest versions have a dog named "Bingo."

Answer: The Wheels on the Bus

"The Wheels on the Bus" dates back to the early 1900s in the United States. It uses a tune derived from another children's song/nursery rhyme called "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" (which is not the same as "Pop Goes the Weasel").

Answer: The Teddy Bear's Picnic

The tune of "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" was written in 1907 by John Walter Bratton, and the lyrics were written 25 years later by Jimmy Kennedy. A variation of this song was used as the overworld song in the 1998 N64 video game, "Banjo-Kazooie."