You know the tune. Even if you haven't heard it in a decade, that rhythmic, gibberish-heavy chorus—boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem chu—is probably rattling around your brain right now. It's one of those rare artifacts of pop culture that successfully jumped the gap from a 1930s swing era hit to a permanent fixture of nursery school classrooms. But honestly, the three little fishies song has a much weirder history than just being a way to keep toddlers quiet during snack time.
It wasn't written for kids. Not originally, anyway.
Back in 1939, when the world was on the brink of a massive war and the Big Band era was hitting its peak, Saxie Dowell wrote this tune. Dowell was a member of Hal Kemp’s Orchestra, a group known for a very specific, staccato style of jazz. The song became a massive, overnight sensation, but it wasn't because of the "educational" value of fish swimming over a dam. It was because the lyrics were essentially 1930s "mumble rap."
The Jazz Roots of a Nursery Favorite
People often forget that the three little fishies song was a genuine Billboard topper. When Hal Kemp’s version hit the airwaves, it stayed on the charts for weeks. The appeal was the "baby talk" lyrics. In the late 30s, there was a strange obsession with novelty songs that played with language. Think of it as the "Skibidi Toilet" of the Greatest Generation.
The chorus is technically a phonetic representation of a fish trying to talk while swimming. Dowell claimed he got the idea from a nursery rhyme he heard, but he jazzed it up—literally.
"Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem chu! And they swam and they swam all over the dam."
If you look at the sheet music from 1939, it's categorized as a "novelty fox trot." It was played in smoke-filled jazz clubs where people in tuxedos and evening gowns would dance to it. It’s kinda funny to think about now, considering we mostly hear it sung by a guy in a giant felt hat at a public library.
Why the Song Stuck Around While Others Faded
Most novelty hits from that era died a quiet death. Does anyone still unironically listen to "The Music Goes Round and Round"? Not really. But the three little fishies song survived because it tapped into a very specific psychological hook: repetitive phonetics.
Linguists often point out that the "boop boop" sounds are among the first vocalizations infants make. By turning these sounds into a swing rhythm, Dowell accidentally created the perfect bridge between adult pop music and early childhood development.
Then came the covers.
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Everyone did it. The Andrews Sisters gave it their signature tight harmonies. Kay Kyser’s "Kollege of Musical Knowledge" made it a staple of his radio show. Even Spike Jones, the king of musical satire, took a crack at it. Each version cemented the song further into the American psyche. By the time the 1950s rolled around and the Baby Boomer generation was born, the song had transitioned. It was no longer a "cool" jazz song; it was a "kids" song.
The Darker Side of the Fishies?
Okay, "dark" is a strong word. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, the story is about a mother fish warning her children about the dangers of the open sea.
"Stop," at the mother fish, "or you'll get lost."
The three little fishies ignore her. They swim over a dam and out into the sea, where they encounter a shark. It’s a classic cautionary tale wrapped in a bubblegum melody. In the original version, they see a shark and get terrified, eventually swimming back over the dam to the safety of their home.
It’s essentially Finding Nemo in under three minutes.
The "dam" in the song is an interesting detail, too. During the 1930s, America was obsessed with dams. The Hoover Dam had just been completed in 1936. Engineering and taming the wild rivers were part of the national conversation. Seeing a song about fish "swimming over the dam" felt modern and relevant to a 1939 audience in a way that’s completely lost on us today. To us, it's just a geographical obstacle in a song. To them, it was a symbol of the New Deal era.
The Phonetic Nightmare of the Lyrics
If you’ve ever tried to type out the lyrics to the three little fishies song, you know it’s a disaster. There is no "official" spelling of the gibberish.
- Some versions spell it "Poo poo dit-tem dat-tem."
- Others go with "Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem chu."
- I've even seen "Bib-pum dap-pum watt-pum chu."
The "official" sheet music published by Santly-Joy-Select Inc. used "Boop Boop Dit-tem Dat-tem What-tem Chu." This was actually a bit of a legal headache back in the day. Because the lyrics were "meaningless," there were disputes about whether the song was derivative of older folk rhymes. Dowell eventually won out, proving his specific arrangement of nonsense was unique.
This brings up a weird point about copyright: you can own a series of nonsense syllables if you put a catchy enough beat behind them.
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How to Use the Song Today (Without Losing Your Mind)
If you're a parent or a teacher, you probably use this song to teach rhythm. It’s great for that. But if you want to make it actually engaging for kids who are used to high-def YouTube animations, you have to lean into the history.
Show them the old Big Band videos. Let them hear the Andrews Sisters' version. It turns a simple "baby song" into a history lesson about how music changes over time.
Also, it’s a fantastic tool for speech therapy. The "p," "b," and "t" sounds in the chorus are what speech-language pathologists call "plosives." They require a build-up of air pressure and a quick release. Singing the three little fishies song is basically a workout for a toddler’s mouth muscles. It helps with articulation and phonemic awareness.
Honestly, Saxie Dowell probably didn't realize he was creating a clinical tool, but that’s the beauty of pop music.
The Legacy of the "Little Fishies"
We see echoes of this song in almost every modern children’s hit. "Baby Shark" is the obvious successor. It follows the exact same formula:
- Family-based characters (Mother, Father, Kids).
- A looming predator.
- A repetitive, easy-to-mimic vocal hook.
- A "safe" resolution.
But while "Baby Shark" is a product of the digital age and algorithmic optimization, the three little fishies song was born from the grit and creativity of the swing era. It has a soul that a lot of modern kids' music lacks. There's a slight swing to the rhythm that makes adults want to tap their toes, rather than just want to reach for the earplugs.
The song has also popped up in unexpected places in cinema. It was used in the 1976 film The Gumball Rally and has been referenced in everything from The Three Stooges to The Simpsons. It’s a "lodged" piece of culture. It's the kind of song that will probably still be sung 100 years from now, even if we’re all living in underwater domes and the idea of "swimming over a dam" is a literal daily commute.
Why You Should Keep Singing It
There is something profoundly human about nonsense. In a world that demands everything be "productive" or "educational," singing about fishies swimming over a dam using made-up words is a small act of rebellion. It’s fun. It’s silly. It reminds us that music, at its core, is about sound and joy before it’s about meaning and lyrics.
The next time you hear the three little fishies song, don't just roll your eyes. Listen for the swing. Think about the jazz musicians in 1939 who were playing this as a serious piece of entertainment. Appreciate the fact that a simple tune about three little fish and their "mamma fishie" managed to survive World War II, the rise of Rock n' Roll, the disco era, and the birth of the internet.
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Practical Steps for Musical Engagement
If you want to actually do something with this information, here are a few ways to bring the song back into your life or your classroom in a way that isn't boring.
Start by comparing versions. Play the Hal Kemp original and then play a modern version like the one by The Wiggles or Raffi. Ask the kids (or yourself) what feels different. The original is much faster, meant for dancing. The modern ones are slower, meant for learning.
You can also use the "boop boop" chorus as a rhythmic foundation. Have kids clap out the syllables. It’s a perfect introduction to 4/4 time.
Finally, try writing a new verse. If the fishies didn't go over a dam, where would they go? This encourages creative writing and keeps the structure of the song alive.
The song isn't just a relic. It's a template. Use it.
Check out the original 1939 recordings on archives like the Library of Congress or YouTube's historical music channels to hear how the song was actually meant to sound. You might find that you actually like the jazz version more than the nursery version. It’s got a lot more "oomph" than the Casio-keyboard versions we’re used to today.
Keep the "boop boops" alive. It’s part of our shared history.
And seriously, watch out for the sharks. They’re everywhere.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Listen to the 1939 Hal Kemp version: It's a masterclass in Big Band rhythm and will completely change how you perceive the "kiddie" song.
- Use the lyrics for phonetics practice: If you have a child struggling with "p" or "b" sounds, use the chorus as a fun, low-pressure way to practice those explosive consonants.
- Explore the "Novelty Song" genre: Look up other 1930s hits like "Mairzy Doats" to see how the trend of linguistic play shaped the music your grandparents (or great-grandparents) loved.