Behind the Tongue-Twisting Song “Apples and Bananas”

If you ever wanted to know the individual power and unique abilities of each of the English language’s vowels, look no further than the goofy, at times tongue-twisting song “Apples and Bananas.”

But what is the real meaning and history of the song? Let’s dive in.

The Meaning

As with other songs like “The ABCs,” the meaning of “Apples and Bananas” is less something to decipher from lyrical content and is more about the act of singing the song and doing so with other people. It’s a lesson more than a song, one that relies on the music, melody, and pattern to impart wisdom.

And what is that lesson? How vowels work.

The Song, Itself

According to NurseryRhymes.info, the origins of the song are unknown, but many believe the nursery rhyme began sometime in the 20th century. “The origins of the song are uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in the United States in the early 20th century,” reads the website.

The song can be sung in two general ways. First, the singer always begins:

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas

This is where the fun comes in. With the above established as the base of the song, singers can now replace the vowels of the words in the song with long-sounding vowel sounds. A new couplet for each vowel. Here’s where the choice comes in: the singer can replace all the vowels or just the ones coming after the words “I like to…” Meaning:

Aye layke tay aat, aat, aat, aapls and bananas

or

I like to aat, aat, aat, aapls and bananas

Either pattern you choose, the subsequent couplets are just replaced with other vowels, A, E, I, O, and U.

What About Y?

Since Y is a part-time vowel, it sadly doesn’t have a role in the song. Perhaps more to the point, it would be even harder to sing with any conviction: Yye lyyk tyy yyyyt.

In Popular Culture

While the song is so ubiquitous for all of us at a young age, you could call it even bigger than popular culture, in a way. The song has nevertheless appeared in many popular children’s programs, from Sesame Street (below) to Barney. It has also been performed by Rafi and the Wiggles.

Photo by Gettyimages.com