THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
0 Followers3 Songs by Willie Nelson that Will Make Any Country Music Fan Tear Up We hope you have your apples polished, your pencils sharpened and your backpacks full, because as September sets in soon, that can only mean one thing. It’s time to get back on the big yellow school bus and head to class. And what better way to mark that occasion than taking a look at the meaning and the history behind everyone’s favorite bus-themed song? Oh, and what does Madonna have to do with it? See below. Without further ado, let’s drive—er, dive—right in! Origins Written by Verna Hills (who, herself, lived to be in her nineties), the earliest known publishing of “The Wheels on the Bus” is from December 1937. Lyrics for the song were published in the outlet, American Childhood. Originally just called “The Bus,” the verse begins: The wheels of the bus… (“of” not “on”). The Song Today Today, the song is popular amongst children in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Italy, and Denmark. As one would expect, the song is often sung by school kids while on bus trips or while heading to school. It’s an amusing song with parts that change and parts that stay the same (see lyrics below). The rhythm is repetitive, making it easy for people to both sing and remember. Another song that follows a similar format is “99 Bottles of Beer.” Though the song of course has a much different meaning. The Contemporary Lyrics Each stanza in the song begins with a different part of the bus, from the wheels to the windshield wipers to the driver, the people on the bus, and more. The meaning, obviously, is to highlight all the fun, noise-making elements of the vehicle. Another fun aspect is for children (and parents or teachers) to act out the parts. The wipers go swish, swish, swish, and singers can move their extended arms, pointed up, back and forth like actual wipers. Or the horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep, and the singers can extend their arm as if honking a real horn on the steering wheel. Then each stanza continues with how each of those elements on the bus moves or behaves, with each verse concluding with all through the town, before another stanza begins. For example: The wheels on the bus go round and round Round and round Round and round The wheels on the bus go round and round All through the town