On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.
It rolled in the garden,
And under a bush,
And then my poor meatball,
Was nothing but mush.
The mush was as tasty
As tasty could be,
And then the next summer,
It grew into a tree.
The tree was all covered,
All covered with moss,
And on it grew meatballs,
And tomato sauce.
So if you eat spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball,
Whenever you sneeze.
The most famous song about spaghetti is likely a children’s song called “On Top of Spaghetti.” Here’s what I can tell you about it:
- Origin: The song is based on the traditional folk song “On Top of Old Smoky” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P51eCjKN2Kw. Tom Glazer, a folk singer, is credited with writing and first performing “On Top of Spaghetti” in 1963.
- Lyrics: The song tells the story of a runaway meatball on a plate of spaghetti. The singer chases the meatball, which rolls off the plate and ends up growing into a spaghetti meatball tree!
- Genre: It’s a silly and catchy children’s song, often sung with the same melody as “On Top of Old Smokey.”
