The Meaning Behind the ABCs of “The Alphabet Song”

Human beings are mimetic. Meaning, we mimic each other. A child sees her parent eating an apple and instinctively both understands and wants to do it themselves. Or we see someone older doing something cool and we want to do it, too. It’s how we learn.

And nowhere is this more obvious than with “The Alphabet Song.” A song, as lovely as it is, is informative. So, let’s dive into the history and meaning of the timeless tune and learn all about, well, how we learn.

ABCs of “The Alphabet Song”

“The Alphabet Song” is the tune everyone learns from a young age. The song is simply the alphabet sung from A to Z—including the rapid “LMNO.” Known also, simply, as “The ABCs,” the simple song is performed in the same melody and tune as other nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”

Outside the series of alphabet letters sung in order A through Z, the only lyric in the song comes after “Z” and it concludes the song with, Now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you sing with me? Therefore, as much as any meaning in the lyrics or the letters, the point of the song is to both engender learning and continue community around the alphabet lesson.

The point of the song is the activity of the song: singing and imparting basic knowledge to children. Reading is one of the most fundamental things a human being can do and the building blocks of that activity, of course, is knowing the alphabet. So, parents and teachers show how important this is to young children via this informative catchy lullaby.

The song proves, too, that the best lessons are taught with care and joy, not with brute force. We learn our ABCs from cooing, not from monotonous memorization. Music helps.

The Origins

In 1835, Boston music publisher Charles Bradlee first copyrighted the song. Though, the song likely goes back further than that. Upon its copyright, the song was named with the awkward title, “The A.B.C., a German air with variations for the flute with an easy accompaniment for the piano forte.” Today, the song is sung in various languages to incorporate their alphabets, including in parts of French Canada.

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