The Muffin Lady

Muffin Day

Jul 11

Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day

The Muffin Lady

Today's Musings, History & Folklore

"🎶 Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man, the muffin man.
Do you know the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane?”

~ Traditional

Fancy a muffin and too far from Drury Lane? There is sure to be a fabulous muffin baker in your dancing acquaintanceship, similar to the generous lady who inspired this reel by supplying her dancing class with delicious muffins. Inspire your own sets by including this dance on a food-based program. Interestingly, the first documented version of the well-known nursery rhyme from 1820 has the titular baker living on ‘Blueberry Lane’, rather than 'Drury Lane'. And there is also an actual Blueberry Lane just outside of London though muffin status here is unknown. In the United States muffins are similar to cupcakes and are available in sweet and savoury varieties, while in the UK, a muffin (referred to as an English muffin elsewhere) is a type of yeast-leavened bread and is cooked on a griddle and flipped, resulting in its distinctive flattened shape. Other muffin-like variations are crumpets (griddle cooked on one side from a simple batter but with no yeast) are equally delicious. So beloved are these tea-time treats, they figure prominently as terms of endearment or even cheeky admiration! Pass the butter! 🍰 🫐 👨‍🍳 👩‍🍳 🧈

"Do you know the muffin man?
The muffin man, the muffin man.
Do you know the muffin man
Who lives in Drury Lane?"

If not, you may know the muffin lady of this namesake dance.

The word muffin is first found in print in 1703, spelled moofin; it is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from the Low German Muffen, meaning "small cakes," or possibly has a connection to the Old French moufflet, meaning "soft as said of bread."

Muffins in the United States are similar to cupcakes in size and cooking methods and are either sweet or savoury.

The English muffin is a type of yeast-leavened bread. Rather than being oven-baked, they are cooked in a griddle on the stove top and flipped from side-to-side, which results in their typical flattened shape rather than the rounded top seen in baked rolls or cake-type muffins.

The Muffin Man rhyme (and associated children's game) appears to have spread to other countries in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly the US and the Netherlands, and is first referred to in writing in 1820. As with many traditional songs, there are regional variations in wording. Another popular version substitutes "Dorset Lane" for Drury Lane.

Interestingly, in the United Sates, many states have their own official state muffins:

The corn muffin is the official state muffin of Massachusetts.
The blueberry muffin is the official state muffin of Minnesota.
The apple muffin is the official state muffin of New York.

For more on this famous children's song and its origins, click the 11759 illustration ofLondon Cries: A Muffin Man by Paul Sandby

Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!