'Rub a dub dub' lyrics

'Rub a dub dub' has to be one of the oldest nursery rhymes of all time, dating back to the 14th century.

The original lyrics refer to 'three maids in a tub' and it is thought to originate from the lascivious fairground attraction 'maids in a 'tub'' – akin to a modern peep show.

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Thankfully by 1380 maids had been replaced with fools, and then by the 20th century it was the turn of the men to get in the tub.

'Rub a dub dub' lyrics

Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,
And all of them out to sea.