The nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (also known as “The Incy Wincy Spider” in the UK, Australia and other English speaking countries) is a timeless children’s favorite that tells the story of a determined little spider who faces the challenges of the weather. As the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbs up a water spout, the rain washes him out, but soon the sun comes out and gives the spider another chance.
Unfortunately, there are not many information about the origin and the author. It’s known that the song was first published in 1910 as an adult song in the US with the words ‘blooming, bloody’ instead of ‘itsy bitsy’. It later appeared in other nursery rhyme publications with the words changed to “itsy bitsy,” a more child-friendly alternative.
The repetitive and rhythmic nature of the song, combined with simple hand movements, makes it a popular choice for engaging young children and developing motor skills. With its enduring charm, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” has become a popular rhyme in early childhood education. Thanks to its simplicity the nursery rhyme is also a very good choice for guitar lessons with children.
Chords and Lyrics for Itsy Bitsy Spider
The song “Itsy Bitsy Spider” is a very short and easy song to sing and to play on the guitar. You only need 2 basic guitar chords! You can play the song in different keys but the easiest one for singing is the key of C. Therefore, you need the chords C and G. This is a great song to practice changing between these two chords.
The Citsy bitsy spider climbed Gup the waterCspout.
Down came the rain
and Gwashed the spider Cout.
Out came the sun
and Gdried up all the Crain
and the itsy bitsy spider climbed Gup the spout Cagain.
Sheet Music for Itsy Bitsy Spider
The nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider” is very short and has an easy melody and consequently the sheet music for this song is also pretty beginner friendly.
Feel free to download the sheet music with the chords for free as a PDF in order to print it out as a worksheet for your guitar classes or just for practicing.
Learn another easy nursery rhyme:
ABC Song
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Brother John
Happy Birthday
Humpty Dumpty
Jingle Bells
Mary had a little Lamb
Old MacDonald had a Farm
Row row row your Boat
Twinkle twinkle little Star
Wheels on the Bus
Yankee Doodle