Origins of The Song
The song is often sung in a Scandinavian accent (e.g. j pronounced as y, w pronounced as v). This accent is revealed by the name "Yon Yonson," which when recited in American English is usually rendered "Jan Jansen" or "John Johnson." The Swedish pronunciation "Yon Yonson" probably dates the origin of the song to soon after the Swedes' arrival in the United States.
The earliest known appearance of the song has been credited to Jan Sophus Jansen (1870–1953). Jan Jansen (pronounced "Yon Yonson) was born in Amager Denmark. At age 23 (1893), he immigrated to the United States. Jan settled in Berlin, Wisconsin, where he first worked in a lumberyard and later worked as a carpenter, cabinet maker, and wood pattern maker. Jan was known to sing his namesake song while playing the concertina as he walked the streets of Berlin.
Another possible origin of the song is the Swedish play "Yon Yonson" (1899). The play's setting was a Minnesota lumber camp (Minnesota is a neighbor of Wisconsin). However, no evidence shows that the song was actually performed as part of the play.
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“Grown onto every inch of plate, except
Where the hinges let it move, were living things,
Barnacles, mussels, water weeds—and one
Blue bit of polished glass, glued there by time:
The origins of art.”
—Howard Moss (b. 1922)
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