Newley had a successful pop music career, with two number one hits in 1960: "Why?" and "Do You Mind?". He won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "What Kind of Fool Am I", but he was also well-known for "Gonna Build a Mountain" and comic novelty songs such as his version of "Strawberry Fair". He wrote songs that others made hits including Goldfinger (the title song of the James Bond movie), and Feeling Good, which became a hit for Nina Simone. With Leslie Bricusse, he wrote the musical Stop the World - I Want to Get Off in which he also performed, earning a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. His other musicals included The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd (1965) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), based on the children's book by Roald Dahl. The play was released in a film version in 1971.
Newley's vocal style has been recognised as a major influence on that of David Bowie. In recognition of his creative skills and body of work, Newley was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989.
The shortlived 1960 ATV series "The Strange World of Gurney Slade" in which Newley starred, continues to have a cult following due to its postmodern premise that the Newley character is trapped inside a television programme. Apart from a repeat of one episode on Channel 4 in 1992, it has not been seen in the UK in recent years. The show's theme tune by Max Harris may be better-known today than the series itself.
His last feature role in the cast of EastEnders was to be a regular role, but Newley had to withdraw after a few months when his health began to fail.
Pop Goes the Weasel
Anthony Newley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Half a pound of treacle
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel
Ha ha, yeah
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel
Every night, when I go out
The weasel's on the table
Take a stick and knock it off
Pop goes the weasel
Up and down the city road
In and out of the eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
Mix it up and make it nice
Pop goes the weasel
You know, pop goes the weasel
For years, I've wondered
What that meant
And nobody seemed to know
So, I looked it up
And the official explanation
Goes something like this
Pop goes the weasel refers to
The habit of London hatters long ago
Popping or pawning their weasels
Or accessories on Saturday night
To buy liquor, isn't that interesting
Up and down the city road
In and out of the eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel
But you know
I've got a theory of my own
About pop goes the weasel
It's much simpler
Why did the weasel go pop, go pop
Pop, pop goes the weasel
Why did the weasel go pop
'Cause they upped the price
Of tuppeny rice to four pence
How did the pop get into the weasel
Weasel, pop goes the weasel
How did the pop get in there
Well, the weasel caught his
Beakle in the treacle
Now, if you've got a weasel
And you don't want him to pop
The next time you go shopping
Don't you take him in the shop
Two, three, four
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
Now that is the way
That the money goes
Pop goes the weasel
Every night, when I go out
The weasel's sitting on the table
Now I take a stick
And I knock it off
Pop goes the weasel
Up and down the city road
In and out of the eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel
Together now
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
Now, I mix it up
And I make it nice
Pop, pop, pop goes the weasel
Pop, pop, pop goes the weasel
Poppity, poppity, pop
Goes the weasel now
Would you excuse me for a moment
I'm just gonna pop my weasel
"Pop Goes the Weasel" is a familiar, catchy, and participatory English nursery rhyme and singing game that dates back to the mid-19th century, but when analyzed closely, the lyrics convey more than just a whimsical children's song. The first verse describes the cost of living and struggling to make ends meet on just tuppenny (two penny) rice and treacle (molasses). The second verse tells the story of the weasel, or more accurately, a musical instrument used by street performers, that was pawned on Saturday nights to buy whiskey, thus leading to the phrase "Pop Goes the Weasel." The third verse includes the phrase, "In and out of the eagle," which refers to an East London alehouse called The Eagle Tavern, which was a popular venue for music hall shows, and where the song would have been performed.
The singer humorously continues to ponder the origin of the phrase "Pop Goes the Weasel," eventually rationalizing that the weasel went "pop" because the price of rice had gone up to four pence. The game involves the players circling around and clapping or skipping in time with the song, with the last player caught out being "the weasel." Apart from its catchiness, the song's message still holds relevance today because of its commentary on poverty and the daily struggles of working-class Londoners.
Line by Line Meaning
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
This line refers to buying tuppenny rice - a low-cost food item.
Half a pound of treacle
This line refers to buying treacle - another low-cost food item.
That's the way the money goes
This line means that buying cheap items like rice and treacle is how one spends money.
Pop goes the weasel
This line refers to the London hat makers in the past who would pawn their 'weasels' or accessory/tools on Saturday nights to buy alcohol.
Every night, when I go out
The singer is saying that he sees the 'weasel' (accessory/tool) on the table each night when he goes out.
The weasel's on the table
The 'weasel' (accessory/tool) is sitting on the table.
Take a stick and knock it off
The singer is knocking the 'weasel' (accessory/tool) off the table with a stick.
Up and down the city road
This line refers to going up and down the city road, probably to the pawnshop.
In and out of the eagle
This line probably indicates going in and out of the pawnshop, which was commonly referred to as 'the eagle'.
Mix it up and make it nice
The singer is mixing tuppenny rice and treacle to make a tasty dish.
For years, I've wondered
What that meant
And nobody seemed to know
The singer admits to having wondered about the true meaning of 'pop goes the weasel' for years, but nobody seemed to know its true meaning.
Pop goes the weasel refers to
The habit of London hatters long ago
Popping or pawning their weasels
The singer provides an official explanation that 'pop goes the weasel' refers to London hatters pawning their weasel accessories to buy alcohol.
But you know
I've got a theory of my own
About pop goes the weasel
It's much simpler
The singer has his own theory about the meaning of 'pop goes the weasel' and thinks it's simpler than the official explanation.
Why did the weasel go pop, go pop
Pop, pop goes the weasel
Why did the weasel go pop
'Cause they upped the price
Of tuppeny rice to four pence
The singer's theory is that the weasel went 'pop' due to the price of tuppenny rice increasing to four pence.
How did the pop get into the weasel
Weasel, pop goes the weasel
How did the pop get in there
Well, the weasel caught his
Beakle in the treacle
The singer's theory, continued. He jokes that the pop may have gotten into the weasel because the weasel's 'beakle' got stuck in the treacle.
If you've got a weasel
And you don't want him to pop
The next time you go shopping
Don't you take him in the shop
The singer warns listeners that if they don't want their 'weasel' to pop (be pawned), they should not take it to the pawnshop when they go shopping.
Now, I mix it up
And I make it nice
Pop, pop, pop goes the weasel
The singer mixes tuppenny rice and treacle to make a tasty dish and emphasizes the 'pop, pop, pop' of the weasel pawning story.
Poppity, poppity, pop
Goes the weasel now
The singer emphasizes the 'pop' of the weasel pawning story with playful words like 'poppity'.
Would you excuse me for a moment
I'm just gonna pop my weasel
The singer humorously makes light of the 'popping' action by saying he's going to 'pop' his own weasel (accessory/tool).
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ALF CLAUSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lonestarfriend
Such a talent. Besides performing, he wrote or co-wrote many classic songs like "The Candy Man", "Who Can I Turn To?", "Goldfinger", and "Feeling Good".
Robert R
Lonestarfriend,dont forget about what kind of fool am i.,once in a lifetime,gonna build a moutain.too many songs to mention.
lonestarfriend
@Robert R Indeed! 🙂
Ben Jonson
Probably the only singer-songwriter who could do both extraordinarily well.
Joyne Freedom
You forgot Lennon/McCartney.
KEEPONROCKINKID
This actually reached number 12 in the UK charts. Why....(He got a number 1 with that one)
Chris Franco
Although its date of origin is unclear, "Pop! Goes the Weasel" has its geographical roots clearly in London. The City Road and Eagle pub are identifiable landmarks, and it's believed that the rhyme uses traditional rhyming slang — "weasel" being Cockney shorthand for "weasel and stoat," which means "coat." "Pop" is a colloquial term for pawning, so the first verse suggests the gaining of food money by trading in a coat…. this nursery rhyme still versifies a harrowing dilemma: the choice between eating and heating.
Tom Smith
The broadcast date of this episode was December 9, 1962. The date in the description was a re-run broadcast. Anthony also sang "What Kind of Fool Am I?" on this episode.
Muriel Pelly
This song is stuck in my head now.
Cheryl Jackson
How the top 40 charts would change two years later in January, 1964 when the music of the British Invasion would wipe out the All American teenage idols off the top 40 charts such as Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vee, Dion Dimucci, Paul Anka, Rick Nelson, Johnny Tillitson, James Darren, Gary Stiles, Johnny Preston, Mark Dinning, Bobby Darin, Pat Boone, Johnny Crawford, Gary Crosby and George Maharis out of the music scene, never to be in the music charts. Cheryl Jackson