Wobble Wabble - Nursery Rhyme

Wobble wabble, snip snip snap
So say I, the little crab

— Opening line of a Macran Nursery Rhyme c-100 PT

Mud Wobblers

Mud Wobbler Crab

Species | Sep 2, 2024

Mud Wobbler Crabs are a familiar feature of the swamps of P'Ache Micro and have lived there for thousands of years. They get their name from the way the mud moves when they are burrowing up out of it soon after hatching. Mud Wobblers are plentiful and to this day are considered a staple part of traditional Macran cooking. They have a fair amount of meat which is a good source of protein. While it is considered a "cheap" or "working class" food, it is easy to prepare, and can be delicious when cooked in the shell.

Lyrics

There are four recorded verses of the Wobble Wabble nursery rhyme. The first two are the oldest and while there are variations of them, the most common are:

Wobble wabble, snip snip snap

So say I, the little crab

Wabble wobble, snap snap snip

Stuck in the mud where you sit

First I wobble this way

Then I wobble that

Then the others join me

With a great big snap

The third verse was added around the time of the Micro Rebellions and is often recorded as:

Wobble wabble, snip snip snap

So say we, a thousand crabs

Wabble wobble, snap snap snip

Driving you back from where you sit

The fourth and final verse came at the end of the Micro Rebellions and is remembered as:

Wobble wabble, yum yum yum

Thousands of crabs in my tum

Bash them and boil them into a stew

Before they think about eating you

This verse is notably different due to the change in narrator, moving from the perspective of the crab to that of the person who was being snapped at.

Game

How to play

The aim of the game would be to cross a designated area without being "got" by the crab. The child playing as the crab would have to try to pinch other children and they too would become crabs. On the words 'Wobble' or 'Wabble' a child would sidestep, their arms in line with their shoulders, hands in the air. On the words 'Snip' and 'Snap' they would clap their fingers against their thumb, impersonating a crab and trying to pinch someone.

The lyrics are often turned into something of a game amongst children. Before the introduction of the fourth verse the game was simple. The introduction of to some extent the third and particularly the fourth verse destroyed this method of playing the game. And now it is more common that when they reach the fourth verse children who are not crabs try to bite the children who are. This led to a lot of tears amongst children and altercations between parents and as a result the game element has long since fallen out of favour, although some of the movements are still used when singing the song.

Origin and History

The oldest recorded version of this nursery rhyme dates back to -1270 PT and only consists of the first two verses. It was traditionally a song taught to children by their parents and was later turned into a game. It is thought to have been created to teach children to watch out for mud wobbler nesting grounds to ensure the crabs could flourish. The third verse was added during The First Micro Rebellion and was sung by those siding with the rebellion as a sign of their loyalty. It wasn't until the end of The Second Micro Rebellion that the Primians discovered this and added the final verse. During the years that followed the introduction of the fourth verse, there was a major decline in the mud wobbler population due to overeating. Most argue this was due to the cheapness of the meat and the economic state the planet was in after two rebellions, however, some have pointed to the fourth verse as being a contributing factor.

Locations	Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, Nuskan, P'Ache Micro, P'Ache Solar System, Peacekeeper Territories
Species	Macran, Mud Wobbler Crab
History	Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, The First Micro Rebellion, The Second Micro Rebellion