There's a Hole in my Bucket Dear Liza

An 18th century German children's song about a leaking bucket became an unlikely hit on the kids' 1970s television show, Sesame Street! When the famous puppets sang There's a Hole in my Bucket, Dear Liza, they were following in the footsteps of countless generations of children.



The folk song first appeared in a collection of German songs called Bergliederbüchlein, published in the early 18th century, although the identity of the composer isn't known. It's a simple nursery rhyme, based on a conversation between two people, Liza and Henry.

Deadlock situation

The dialogue begins with Henry saying his bucket leaks, so Liza tells him to fix it. However, he needs an axe to cut the materials, but it's too blunt. Henry says he needs to sharpen the axe, but can't do so, because his sharpening stone must be wet in order for it to work.

He can't get water to wet the stone without his bucket - so he's reached a deadlock situation. In a very long-winded manner, the dialogue between Henry and Liza goes full circle and the song ends where it began.

Liza tells Henry to get some water to sharpen his axe, to which the unfortunate young man replies, "In what shall I get it, dear Liza?"

Without much thought, Liza responds, "In a bucket, dear Henry," - leaving Henry to remind his companion that there's a hole in his bucket and that's how this all began.

English translation

The song resurfaced in Germany in the 19th century under the title, Heinrich und Liese. It was printed in 1858 in a popular book called the Kommersbuch, containing traditional songs. It was included in another German book of songs, Der Zupfgeigenhansl, in 1909.

The version that appeared on Sesame Street was based on the 20th century interpretation dating from 1949, when it appeared in the songbook, Pennsylvania Songs and Legends, compiled by George Korson - a journalist, historian and folklore expert.

Popular singer Harry Belafonte recorded his version of There's a Hole in My Bucket as a duet with American singer Odetta Holmes in 1960. Described as "quaint and funny", it was totally different from Belafonte's usual blues and calypso style.



By the mid-1970s, the cast of Sesame Street was singing the quirky old song, featuring the vocals of the show's creator, Jim Henson, as Henry and Rita Moreno (of West Side Story fame) as Liza.

Popular culture

The song found its way into popular culture in the 1950s, when comedy duo Michael Flanders and Donald Swann wrote a parody called There's a Hole in my Budget in a satirical sketch about the British budget deficit. It was sung as a conversation by the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Chancellor Rab Butler, rather than Henry and Liza.

The song was updated by Flanders and Swann in 1974, when it was sung by Harold Wilson and Denis Healey. It was released as a record the same year. It was also sung by Rat Pack crooner Dean Martin on The Dean Martin Show in 1966, when he sang the duet with actor and comedian George Gobel on television.

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