Rub a Dub Dub

"Rub-a-dub-dub" is a well-known nursery rhyme from late 18th-century England. The poem was initially published in London's "Christmas Box" anthology in 1798 and has undergone several recorded changes. When the song first appeared in England and the United States, it referenced three maids rather than three men (Boston).

According to a later study cited in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951), the lyrics suggest a scene in which three honourable men are covertly watching a less honourable occasion.

Rub a Dub Dub

A traditional nursery rhyme from late 18th-century England is "Rub-a-dub-dub." Several documented poem variations were originally included in London's "Christmas Box" collection in 1798. The song originally mentioned three maids instead of three men when it first debuted in England and the United States (Boston).

The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951), citing later research, claims that the lyrics depict a scene in which three honourable men secretly observe a less honourable moment.

Rub a Dub Dub Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

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.

Hey! rub-a-dub, ho! rub-a-dub, three maid 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.

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.

Words to Rub a Dub Dub

Conclusion

This story is about three maids sitting in a tub at a fair. A predominantly male audience was watching the women. Three men decided to follow them as a result, but the proprietor of the fair asked them to leave.