You probably think of a bathtub. Most people do. You picture three jolly, slightly confused men—a butcher, a baker, and a candle-stick maker—drifting aimlessly in a wooden tub like some weird 18th-century precursor to a sitcom. It’s a staple of every toddler’s bedtime routine. But if you actually look at the rub a dub dub nursery rhyme words, the history is a lot grittier, a lot more scandalous, and honestly, a bit more interesting than a simple bath-time song.
The version we sing to babies today is a sanitized, "Disney-fied" remnant of something much older.
It’s weird how language shifts. We take these snippets of oral history and polish them until the original meaning is totally gone. The "tub" wasn't always a tub. The men weren't always "maids." And the original context? Well, let's just say it involved a traveling fair, a side-show attraction, and some questionable behavior that would definitely get a "Parental Advisory" sticker today.
The words we know vs. the words that were
Most of us grew up with the standard Mother Goose version. It goes like this:
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,
All put out to sea.
It sounds like a nonsensical adventure. Why are they in a tub? Why are they at sea? Is it a metaphor for economic struggle? Not really. To find the real rub a dub dub nursery rhyme words, we have to go back to the late 1700s. Specifically, the earliest known printed version appeared in Hooker's Mother Goose's Melody around 1798.
But wait.
Before it was three men, it was actually "three maids." And they weren't in a tub for a bath. They were in a tub at a fair.
The original lyrics looked something like this:
Hey! rub-a-dub, ho! rub-a-dub, three maids in a tub,
And who do you think were there?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,
And all of them gone to the fair.
Notice the difference? In the original, the "three maids" were the attraction in the tub. The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker weren't the ones in the tub; they were the ones watching the maids. This wasn't a cute story about buddies on a boat. It was a commentary on people gawking at a "dub" (a 14th-century term for a tub) at a local fair, likely watching something akin to a peep show.
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Why the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker?
These three professions weren't chosen at random. In medieval and early modern England, these were the "pillars" of the local trades. They represented the respectable middle class. By placing them in the rhyme, the song was poking fun at the "respectable" men of the town sneaking off to see something scandalous at the traveling fair.
It’s social satire. Pure and simple.
Think about it. The butcher provides the meat. The baker provides the bread. The candlestick-maker provides the light. These are essential, God-fearing tradesmen. Seeing them "rub-a-dubbing" around a tub of "maids" was a way for the common folk to laugh at the hypocrisy of their social superiors.
Eventually, the Victorian era happened. And if there’s one thing Victorians loved, it was scrubbing the "naughty" parts out of folk culture. The "maids" became "men," the "fair" became the "sea," and suddenly, it was a nonsensical rhyme about three guys on a weird boat trip. We lost the bite, but we kept the rhythm.
The mystery of the "dub"
Linguists like Peter and Iona Opie, who are basically the gold standard for nursery rhyme history (their book The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes is a masterpiece of niche research), suggest that "rub-a-dub" is an onomatopoeia for a drumbeat.
It’s the sound of the barker at the fair.
Imagine a guy standing outside a tent, beating a drum to get your attention. Rub-a-dub-dub! "Step right up! See the maids in the tub!" It was an invitation to a spectacle. The fact that we now associate it with the gentle splashing of a toddler in a porcelain bathtub is one of the funniest linguistic pivots in history.
Variations across the globe
While the British version is the most "canonical," the rub a dub dub nursery rhyme words have morphed as they traveled. In some early American versions, the lyrics were even more fragmented. You’ll find variations where the men are "all of them knaves" or where the ending emphasizes their "rottenness."
This ties into the theory that the rhyme might also be a critique of dishonest weight and measures.
Historically, butchers, bakers, and candle-makers were frequently accused of cheating customers. The baker would skimp on the flour (hence the "baker's dozen" to avoid penalties), and the butcher might weigh the meat with his thumb on the scale. Some folklorists argue the "tub" represents a sort of "vessel of iniquity"—they were all in the same boat when it came to their dodgy business practices.
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Honestly, though? The "peep show at the fair" theory has way more historical backing in terms of the actual textual evolution.
Why do we still sing it?
It’s the meter.
Humans are suckers for dactyls and trochees. The rhythmic "Rub-a-dub-dub" is incredibly satisfying to the ear. It’s what psychologists call "phonological looping." It gets stuck. It’s easy for a child to mimic. Even if the words make zero sense—three men at sea in a wooden tub would sink in about four seconds—the sonic structure is perfect.
Also, it’s short.
In a world where attention spans are cratering, a four-line rhyme is the perfect unit of entertainment. It serves its purpose: it distracts a kid while you're trying to wash their hair.
Does it actually matter?
Some people get annoyed when they find out the "true" meaning of nursery rhymes. They feel like their childhood has been "ruined." But I think it makes the rhyme better. It connects us to a world of muddy English fairs, drum-beating barkers, and local gossip. It reminds us that people 300 years ago were just as weird and voyeuristic as we are today.
Digging deeper into the "Three Men"
If we look at the professions again, there’s a certain symmetry to them.
- The Butcher: Associated with blood and raw nature.
- The Baker: Associated with fire and the hearth.
- The Candlestick-maker: Associated with light and the "shining" of society.
When you put them all in a tub together, you're stripping them of their professional dignity. In the tub, they are just three guys. It’s a leveling of social status. Whether they are at sea or at a fair, they are out of their element.
There is also a very obscure theory linking the rhyme to "The Great Fire of London," but frankly, that’s almost certainly nonsense. People love to link every nursery rhyme to a plague or a fire (looking at you, Ring Around the Rosie), but usually, the simplest explanation is the correct one: it was a popular street song that got cleaned up for the nursery.
The Actionable Takeaway: How to use this today
If you’re a parent, a teacher, or just someone who likes trivia, don’t stop singing the rub a dub dub nursery rhyme words. But maybe use it as a jumping-off point for something more interesting.
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1. Teach the rhythm, not just the words.
Use the "rub-a-dub" beat to teach children about syllables. It’s a natural drumbeat. Have them clap along. It helps with early literacy and phonics development.
2. Explore the history of trades.
Who is a butcher today? We have supermarkets now. Who is a baker? Most people buy sliced bread. Who is a candlestick-maker? Now they’re artisanal crafters on Etsy. It’s a great way to talk about how the world has changed since the 1700s.
3. Embrace the "nonsense."
Ask a child: "Why is a tub a bad boat?" Use the absurdity of the rhyme to spark a conversation about science (buoyancy!) and logic. Why would three grown men fit in one tub?
4. Compare the versions.
If you have an older child, show them the 1798 version. Ask them why they think the words changed. It’s a brilliant, simple lesson in how culture and "politeness" shape the stories we tell.
The reality of history is often messier than the stories we tell our children. But that messiness is where the real life is. The next time you’re at bath time and you start the "Rub-a-dub-dub" chant, just remember—you’re actually participating in a 200-year-old tradition of making fun of the local tradesmen.
Keep it simple. Keep it rhythmic. And maybe keep the part about the fair to yourself until they’re at least in middle school.
Next Steps for the Curious Mind
To really understand the evolution of these folk songs, look into the Roud Folk Song Index. It’s a massive database (over 25,000 songs) that tracks how lyrics change as they move through different regions and centuries. You can search for "Roud 3101" to find the academic tracking of the rub-a-dub-dub variations. Also, check out the Opies' work if you can find a copy at a library; it’s the definitive word on why our childhood songs are much weirder than we realized.
For a practical activity, try writing your own "modern" version of the rhyme. Who are the three "trades" of 2026? The Coder, the Influencer, and the Barista? Putting them in a tub might be the social satire our generation needs.