The Hoppity Song
John Ondrasik Lyrics

The Hoppity Song by John Ondrasik is a modern take on an old folk ballad. The lyrics are filled with metaphors and symbolism, and are open to interpretation. The song starts with the singer inheriting a piece of land from his father, which he plows under and sows with nettles and corn. He scythes it with the brim of his hat and carts it to the mill with a team of rats. He stores the harvested produce in the wee pigs sty and wonders what he will buy with his riches.

The song can be interpreted in different ways. One interpretation could be that the singer inherited something of value which he then destroyed and replaced with something less valuable. The use of nettles can represent something unpleasant while the corn can represent something more valuable. The use of the rats to help with the harvest could represent deceit or corruption. The singer then stores his harvest in a pigsty which shows he doesn't value his riches and doesn't know what to do with them.

Another interpretation of the song could be that the singer is trying to make something out of life but all his efforts are in vain. He is trying to cultivate a worthless piece of land with no profit. The use of nettles and corn together are also not a useful combination, as nettles are poisonous to farm animals. The singer is also trying to harvest his crop with rats, which is not possible. The storing of the harvest in a pigsty could represent how he doesn't value his riches, since pigs are not as valuable as other livestock.