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Nobody like me, everybody hates me… 1863…
August 27, 2018 by GuyHeilenman 
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Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
I think I’ll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones
Eensie weensy squeensy ones
See how they wiggle and squirm!
Down goes the first one, down goes the second one
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
Up comes the first one, up comes the second one
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
I bite off the heads, and suck out the juice
And throw the skins away!
Nobody knows how fat I grow
On worms three times a day!
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
I think I’ll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones
Eensie weensy squeensy ones
See how they wiggle and squirm!
When a child sings, “Nobody Likes Me,” rarely does it inspire the reaction (from those within listening distance) hoped for. The reality is, the child may be down in the mouth, but they’re likely not going to eat worms. After all, who would do such a thing? Of course we forget the times throughout history when many have chosen to do so as a result of severe famine, long sea voyages (where food was scarce – and refrigeration was limited), and of course, in the present as a means of what we often call entertainment on a plethora of reality television shows. Speaking of the latter, when such is put upon others against their will, the result is no laughing (or entertaining) matter. Perhaps it is the contrast between a willing act and one which is unjustly perpetrated upon others which drew my attention to the following article found in the New York Daily Tribune, September 3, 1863: 
PS Please don’t respond with comments stating this post was in bad taste. I realize the song itself is sung with tongue firmly planted in cheek – just for fun.
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Comments
35 Responses to “Nobody like me, everybody hates me… 1863…”
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This song should NOT be taught to children.
I learned it when I was a young child, and my whole life I’ve struggled with the thought that people don’t like me.
After a lot of therapy, I realized that this song planted negative seeds in my impressionable three-year-old brain which manifested negatively throughout my life.
Parents and teachers, please take this song out of your repertoire–for the sake of children’s Mental health.
Peace.
Your comment is valid. Thanks for sharing.
That is interesting! Do you know for sure that this incident actually spawned the worm song?
am a kid and i like it the song me feel happy 🙂 and my class like it to
Love this melody, I don’t understand the negativity from all these snow flakes!
I do few things “for sure”. 🙂
I agree, but I stand strong against “cancel culture” – unless what is posted is harmful or obscene. Thank you! 🙂
Just recently learned that those song existed in english. It’s very popular in spanish n it’s a vibe tbh. We be dancing to it at parties n it’s just kinda considered obsurd more then to be taken to heart.
My father used to sing this song all the time, especially if he and mom had a “raised voice conversation” Dad was born in 1902. We always thought it was because the folks lived thru the Depression. He also used to sing You Get a Line and I’ll get a Pole and we will go down to the fishing whole, honey, baby mine. I smile every time I remember these two songs. Dad was born in Topeka Kansas and said he had an old plow horse and all 6 children climb aboard and rode the horse to school then hobbled it out in front of school until school was over. I asked him once where he heard these songs and he said at school in play yard.
I was always wondering if this song was of a Lutheran origin, being an English play on words with the Diet of Worms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Worms
I think that’s nonsense. All kids are fascinated by gross stuff – it’s part of being a kid. It’s an around the campfire type of song.
I do agree.
Your parents are the root of your problems, not this song
Whether intended as such or not, I’ll take this comment as being made with tongue-in-cheek as well. 🙂
All kids love songs like this!! It makes them laugh! You must have had other issues. Don’t think it was the song!!
I was born in 1948 2nd of 6 kids my Irish mom sang me this song whenever I was in a BooHoo Poor me moment. I’ve traveled our Planet Seas surfed waves of significant Consequences in many places. As a kid this melody snapped me out of bad moods gave me strength cuz my mom and dad were strong loving parents. So it goes it’s not the melody or lyrics. My parents gave me strength to be curious to explore and taught me to just keep asking WHY WHY WHY any problem exists. Answers will be revealed As a highly trained Aerospace professional that “Why Methodology” is called ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS for Continuous Improvement. Go ride a big Wave ! Hahahaha just my POV.
#WormsLivesMatter
Did you eat a lot of worms
🙂
Here is how I learned the song:
Nobody loves me
everybody hates me
I’m gonna go eat worms.
Long thin slimy ones
Short fat fuzzy ones
I’m gonna go eat worms
Now the long thin slimy ones
Slide down easily
But the short fat fuzzy ones stick
When the short fat fuzzy ones stick
All the juice goes whoosh!
Oh, bite off the heads
And suck out the insides
Throw the skins away.
Everybody wonders
How I can live
On a hundred worms a day
Olé
Of course, it was a diet of worms.
I grew up on a vastly different version of this song as a kid thanks to a book called The Ghost Sitter. It had a softer tonnage to it, though growing up I had always been curious about it. Finding the original song and the fact that the lyrics had been changed for the book (understandably I suppose, given copyright and such) is interesting.
I always got this sung to me by my mother and never thought much until I would sing it for fun and other kids would look at me and ask where I heard it ? Like I thought it was a popular song but I was wrong . All my siblings know it as well and I’m planning on singing it “silly” to my kids as well .
Thank you!
I just did the go eat worms line for my adult daughter & she had to call & check on suicide ideation.
Did I raise this kid & she doesn’t know the song.
My Dad was born 1908.
I don’t know where I learned it, just part of life. I came to Google for history. None found, but I appreciate your affirmation.
You had deeper issues than a song.
My mom could play two tunes on the piano. This one and Chop Sticks. She made sure I learned a lot more than those two. She used to sing slightly different words though. After the nobody likes me part, there was something about worms are greasy, slide down easy and another part about found myself a fuzzy, wuzzy caterpillar. Can’t remember for sure. Been a long time. But it was just a fun song. Maybe a little gross, but funny. Interesting history to it.
Thanks for the insight. 🙂
I think my mother also had similar words – which I always assumed were just additional verses. I’d love to have others add their “learned” stanzas.
That sounds like a YOU thing. It’s a silly kids song, written in a day & age where neither kids nor adults were perpetually offended & triggered. It’s not a suicide plan or ideation. It’s a song. Anyone truly professing to be that affected by a song personally needs help. The solution isn’t to take away the song from those who can ‘handle’ it.
Get a helmet.
My father was born in 1939 and used to sing it to me when I was a kid. His Irish mother taught this song and a couple other fun ones too. Hearing it again today made me feel like he was right back here although he died 20 years ago. He sang it sometime just out of the blue as well as when I was being a grumpy kid. I always considered it a silly although a little yucky song
Precious memories. My grandfather did as well.
Take a chill pill. I ate worms when my Mum wouldn’t give me a biscuit. They’re nutritious and delicious
I think this song actually is an opposite to help jar our thoughts out of self pity. I sing this line to my self at times when I have the sense that people don’t like me so I get out of my pity thoughts. I would imagine there was a teachable moment from the tune. Perhaps some other experiences of how people experienced this song would be interesting.
[…] But I am an eternal optimist and believe in looking on the bright side. While some things remain out of our control, we have a lot of personal choices and options. We can embrace and enjoy the ride or as the age-old ditty goes, ‘go eat worms.’ […]