John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" is a traditional children's song in the United States and Canada of obscure origin. The same verse is sung more and more softly in repetition. The lyrics of the song depend on who is singing. For example, the following is one version:

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,
His name is my name too.
Whenever we go out,
The people always shout,
There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!"
La la la la la la la la (or other folderol)[1]

  1. ^ Lynch, Dan (1991-06-23). "Bug Juice Days". Albany Times Union. p. B4. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 

The following is another version, similar to 99 Bottles of Beer:

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,
His name is my name too.
Whenever I go out,
The people always shout,
"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!"
Da da da da da da da da

The mock German name celebrated in the song suggests that English-speaking children find long northern-European names to be inherently funny words. The surname "Schmidt" and the surname suffix "-heimer" are of Germanic origin. Schmidt is one of the most common surnames in German heritage.

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.[1] 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 Lake Seneca, as scouts entered the mess hall "Troop 18 soon burst into the first camp song, 'John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith.'"[2] A 1941 Milwaukee Journal article also refers to the song, with the same uncommon alternate spelling of "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith."[3]

The song can be sung in an infinite loop, like "The Song That Never Ends", "My Name is Jan Jansen", "Michael Finnegan", "99 Bottles of Beer", or "High Hopes".

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

Notable appearances

References

  1. ↑ Wasson, Andrew. "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt is not a Person". Dairy River.
  2. ↑ Elmira Star-Gazette "Scouts Open Camp Seneca Term Sunday," , . July 6, 1931, p. 8. Retrieved on October 9, 2014.
  3. ↑ Milwaukee Journal. "Youth Finds Fun at Fair". August 17, 1941, p. 4. Retrieved on July 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ Daddy Dewdrop, "Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)" single release Retrieved February 14, 2016.

External links

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