water spout for downspout

[curiousmarcus]

Incy wincy spider climbed up the water spout.

Searching Google for the terms "water spout", it seems that water spouts are more commonly understood as a rotating column of water and spray formed by a whirlwind occurring over the sea or other body of water.

I wonder why a children's song would use water spout as opposed to less ambiguous terms such as downspout or rain spout. Could it be that water spouts (the vortex) were not yet called as such when the song was originally written?

 

[GoesStation]

Yes. As a small child I always thought those things were called waterspouts.

 

[tedmc]

A water spout is simply an outlet for water to flow/shoot out. I don't think it has to do with the form or pattern of the water leaving the spout.

 

[curiousmarcus]

 

[tedmc]

OK, that is written as one word, "waterspout" (not separate words which you have written as in your title), which is a natural phenomenon.

 

[Rover_KE]

'Downspout' doesn't fit the metre of the verse. A three-syllable word is necessary there.

 

[emsr2d2]

Since childhood, I have assumed that the "water spout" in question was the long bit on a watering can, out of which the water flows when you tip the watering can. I thought the spider climbed up it, then it rained, filling up the watering can to the point where rainwater went all the way up the spout and washed poor old Incy Wincy out. I had honestly never considered any other meaning until today.

This is what I pictured:

 

[kilroy65]

For better or worse, modern visual technology leaves no room for imagination. My grandson would never listen to the song without watching the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p77hQrdjPVk

 

[jutfrank]

I learned it like this:

Incy Wincy Spider
Climbed up the spout

Down came the rain and
Washed the spider out

 

[emsr2d2]

Come to think of it, so did I!

Incy wincy spider
Climbed up the spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain.
Incy Wincy spider
Climbed up the spout again.

 

[GoesStation]

The American version is a little different:

The eentsy weentsy spider
Went up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain.
And the eentsy weentsy spider
Went up the spout again.

"Eentsy weentsy" is baby talk for little.

 

[emsr2d2]

There are various similar BrE terms for "little".

Teensy-weensy
Teeny-weeny
Itsy-bitsy
Incy-wincy (admittedly, I don't think I've heard that outside the nursery rhyme)
Teeny-tiny
Itty-bitty

Two of them are used in the 1960s song "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"!

I wasn't aware of "eentsy weentsy" until today.