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One morning, as my wife was getting ready for work, I found myself singing an old tune from my childhood:
"Nobody loves me, everybody hates me,
Think I'll go and eat worms.
Long, thin, skinny ones; short, fat, juicy ones,
See them wiggle and squirm."
Curious, my wife, who’s from the Philippines, asked, “Where did you get that song?”
“It’s an old Glasgow street song,” I replied with a smile.
Perhaps you sang it as a child, too? Children skipped to it in the playground. It’s a song full of mischief and charm, but with an element of sadness; we all feel unloved at times.
The nursery rhyme melody sticks with you over the years. A bit of research revealed that its origins might trace back to Tonga in the 13th century. Glasgow, being a maritime city, likely carried the song on the lips of sailors, spreading it across oceans and generations.
We may never know the identity of the anonymous wordsmith who first gave us this playful ode to hiding from humanity. But their creation lives on, a source of joy for countless children across time and continents.
Do you live outside the U.K? Did the song travel to your country? I would love to know.