While the song is largely known as “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” today (at least in America—more on that in a bit), an earlier version of the rhyme had a much more general title: The song is ...

That’s right, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” is an all-time classic. Kids love it, from the story to the gesticulation. But what is the meaning and history of the rhyme and its pantomime?