<Dd> And they couldn't get up in the morning . </Dd> <P> The first two lines of this rhyme can be found in The Little Mother Goose, published in the US in 1912 . The melody most often associated with it is the same as "A Tisket, A Tasket", which is in the public domain . The earliest known audio recording of the song was made in 1939 in New York by anthropologist and folklorist Herbert Halpert and is held in the Library of Congress . It was noted in 1939 in New York by Charles Ives (1874--1954) and a version of it was copyrighted in 1944 by Freda Selicoff . </P> <P> It has been suggested that the verse is a "classic description" of a head injury ("bumped his head"), followed by a lucid interval and an inability to resume normal activity ("couldn't get up in the morning"). However, it has also been suggested that, in regards to the first verse at least, that the rhyme is an interpretation of an accidental death ("didn't get up in the morning; indicating that no attempt or ability to get up made). </P>

Where did the song it's raining its pouring come from