John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" is a traditional children's song that originates from the United States. The song consists of one verse repeated over and over again (usually repeated four times) with increasing in volume (or decreasing). It's repeated four more times quieter except for the closing "DA-DA-DA...!" phrase for each iteration. However, there have also been versions where it also speeds up. There are other ways of singing this song such as increasing (accelerando) or decreasing (ritardando) in tempo after each repetition. The lyrics of the song depend on who is singing.

Lyrics and melody

There are various lyrics to the song; for example, the following is one version, which is repeated several times (four times), often while altering the tempo or pitch:[1]

Origin

While the origins of the song are obscure, some evidence places its roots with vaudeville and theatre acts of the late 19th century and early 20th century popular in immigrant communities. Some vaudeville acts during the era, such as the work of Joe Weber and Lew Fields, often gave voice to shared frustrations of German-American immigrants and heavily leaned on malapropisms and difficulties with the English language as a vehicle for its humor.[2] Further, "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" shares many characteristics with "My Name Is Jan Jansen", a song that can trace its origin to Swedish vaudeville in the late 19th century.

By the mid-20th century, the song appears to have already become widely known. In 1931, the Elmira Star Gazette, a newspaper in upstate New York, reported that at a Boy Scout gathering at Seneca Lake, as scouts entered the mess hall "Troop 18 soon burst into the first camp song, 'John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith'."[3] A 1941 Milwaukee Journal article also refers to the song, with the same alternate spelling of "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith".[4]

The song is indefinitely repetitive, like "The Song That Never Ends", "My Name Is Jan Jansen" or, "Michael Finnegan".

Versions of this song also appear in other languages, such as the Spanish rendition, "Juan Paco Pedro de la Mar".

Notable appearances

Note and references
  1. "Bug Juice Days" Lynch, Dan
  2. Wasson, Andrew. "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt is not a Person". Dairy River. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. Elmira Star-Gazette. "Scouts Open Camp Seneca Term Sunday". July 6, 1931, p. 8. Retrieved on May 29, 2019.
  4. Milwaukee Journal. "Youth Finds Fun at Fair". August 17, 1941, p. 4. Retrieved on May 24, 2019.
  5. Daddy Dewdrop, "Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)" single release Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  6. IMDB Retrieved May 24, 2019
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