The Muffin Man
Encyclopedia
"The Muffin Man" is a traditional nursery rhyme
or children's song of English
origin. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 7922.
with lyrics very similar to those used today:
Victorian
households had many of their fresh foods delivered; muffins would be delivered door-to-door by a muffin man. The "muffin" in question was the bread product known in much of the English-speaking world today as muffins
, not the much sweeter cupcake-shaped American variety
.
The rhyme and game appear to have spread to other countries in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly the USA and the Netherlands. As with many traditional songs, there are regional variations in wording. Another popular version substitutes "Dorset Lane" for Drury Lane.
In The Young Lady's Book, published in 1888, Mrs Henry Mackarness described the game as:
Verses beyond those described in the book have been sung. For example, the song may be concluded, "We all know the Muffin Man…"
In literature
In film
In television
In popular music
In sport
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
or children's song of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
origin. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 7922.
Lyrics
The most widely known lyrics are as follows:
Do [or "Oh, do"] you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Do you know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury LaneDrury LaneDrury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
?
Yes [or "Oh, yes"], I know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Yes, I know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury Lane.
Origins and meaning
The rhyme is first recorded in a British manuscript of around 1820 preserved in the Bodleian LibraryBodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
with lyrics very similar to those used today:
Do you know the muffin man
the muffin man the muffin man.
Do you know the muffin man,
That lives in Drury Lane?
Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
households had many of their fresh foods delivered; muffins would be delivered door-to-door by a muffin man. The "muffin" in question was the bread product known in much of the English-speaking world today as muffins
English muffin
A muffin or English muffin is a small, round, flat type of yeast-leavened bread almost always dusted with cornmeal, which is commonly served split horizontally, toasted, and buttered. Muffins are eaten either as a snack alone or as part of a meal.- History :An old English nursery rhyme, "The...
, not the much sweeter cupcake-shaped American variety
Muffin
A muffin is an American English name for a type of quick bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist...
.
The rhyme and game appear to have spread to other countries in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly the USA and the Netherlands. As with many traditional songs, there are regional variations in wording. Another popular version substitutes "Dorset Lane" for Drury Lane.
The game
Iona and Peter Opie observed that, although the rhyme had remained fairly consistent, the game associated with it has changed at least three times including: as a forfeit game, a guessing game and a dancing ring.In The Young Lady's Book, published in 1888, Mrs Henry Mackarness described the game as:
The first player turns to the one next her [sic], and to some sing-song tune exclaims:
- "Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?
- Do you know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane?"
The person addressed replies to the same tune:
- "Yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man;
- Oh, yes, I know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane."
Upon this they both exclaim:
- "Then two of us know the muffin man, the muffin man," &c.
No. 2 then turns to No. 3, repeating the same words, who replies in the same way, only saying, "Three of us know the muffin man," &c. No. 3 then turns to No. 4, and so on round the room, the same question and answer being repeated, the chorus only varied by the addition of one more number each time.
Verses beyond those described in the book have been sung. For example, the song may be concluded, "We all know the Muffin Man…"
Cultural references
The popularity of the rhyme can be seen in its use in a variety of cultural contexts, including:In literature
- The Muffinman in Jane AustenJane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's PersuasionPersuasion (novel)Persuasion is Jane Austen's last completed novel. She began it soon after she had finished Emma, completing it in August 1816. She died, aged 41, in 1817; Persuasion was published in December that year ....
(1818) is probably the first literary mention of the Muffin Man. - The Jellyman in Jasper FfordeJasper FfordeJasper Fforde is a British novelist. Fforde's first novel, The Eyre Affair, was published in 2001. Fforde is mainly known for his Thursday Next novels, although he has written several books in the loosely connected Nursery Crime series and begun two more independent series: The Last Dragonslayer...
's The Big Over EasyThe Big Over EasyThe Big Over Easy is a novel written by Jasper Fforde and published in 2005. It features Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant, Sergeant Mary Mary....
(2005) is probably a reference to the Muffin Man.
In film
- In the 1956 movie Reach for the SkyReach for the SkyReach for the Sky is a 1956 British biographical film of aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film of 1956.-Plot:In 1928, Douglas Bader, a...
, the song is heard as part of an RAF officers' mess game where each player sings a verse while balancing a glass of beer on his head.
- In the movie JawsJaws (film)Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
(1975), Chief Brody's son Shaun is singing "The Muffin Man" while making sandcastles on the beach during the attack on Alex, the boy on the raft.
- In the 1988 movie Wee Sing Grandpa's Magical Toys, one of the characters is the Muffin Man.
- In the 2001 movie Shrek, while being interrogated by Lord FarquaadLord FarquaadLord Farquaad is the primary antagonist from the 2001 animated feature film Shrek. He is voiced by John Lithgow.-Shrek:Lord Farquaad is the comically short-in-stature, ruthless ruler of the huge castle of Duloc. Several times in the film it is commented that, in Duloc's towering height, Farquaad...
as to the whereabouts of fairytale creatures, the gingerbread man "confesses" and recites the Muffin Man.
- In the 2004 sequel of Shrek, Shrek 2Shrek 2Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...
, Shrek asks the gingerbread man if he still knows the Muffin Man. The gingerbread man replies, "Yes, he's down on Drury Lane".
- The cult movie Muffin Man (2003) is about an obesity epidemic, epitomized by the prevalence of the "muffin topMuffin top"Muffin-top" is a generally pejorative slang term used to describe the phenomenon of overhanging flesh when it spills over the waistline of pants or skirts in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing.- Origin :...
" waistline, that leads to the extinction of the human race. The theme song "Muffin Man Squat" is a rap variation of the traditional Muffin Man song.
In television
- In "S.O.B.'s" (Season 3, Episode 9) of the television show Arrested Development it is casually revealed that George Bluth, Sr. is a multiple poisoner referred to as the "Muffin Man".
- In the SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
episode "Texas", after Sandy sings a song, Patrick asks SpongeBob if he thinks that Sandy knows the Muffin Man song. - Due to Bill O'ReillyBill O'Reilly (political commentator)William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
s repeated coverage of a now debunked story of the federal government paying $16 per muffin, liberals have referred to him as the Muffin Man.
In popular music
- Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and Captain BeefheartCaptain BeefheartDon Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
performed a song ("Muffin Man")Muffin Man (song)"Muffin Man" is a song recorded live by Frank Zappa. It appears on his 1975 mostly live album Bongo Fury made with Captain Beefheart . The song begins with studio-recorded spoken word lyrics delivered by Zappa and is followed by the chorus...
apparently inspired by the nursery rhyme on the album Bongo FuryBongo FuryBongo Fury is a mostly live album released by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 & 21, 1975 at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas...
(1975). - Shred guitarist Ryan Giammo of Dreaded Affliction is commonly referred to as The Muffin Man.
In sport
- Darts player Steve HineSteve HineSteve Hine is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. He works as a baker and consequently he is nicknamed The Muffin Man...
is known as "The Muffin Man".