10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes - Listverse

12/6/13 10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes - Listverse
listverse.com/2012/11/28/10-sinister-origins-of-nursery-rhymes/ 1/22
NEXT PREVIOUS
MARSEBIL NOVEMBER 28, 2012
A lot of our traditional nursery rhymes arent really nursery rhymes at all they are
nonsensical rhymes to amuse children. But many of them have hidden, sinister
backstories which are far from child-friendly. Dating from as early on as the Viking
period in England, some are records of political and religious upheaval; others explore
aspects of daily life, scandals and gossip.
10
Lucy Locket
Lucy Locket lost her pocket
And Kitty Fisher found it.
Not a penny was there in it,
Only a ribbon around it.
Both Lucy and Kitty were real people, back in the 18th century. Lucy Locket was a
barmaid and some-time prostitute. When one of her wealthy lovers (the pocket) lost all
his money, she dropped him like a hot potato, only to learn afterwards that her rival,
Kitty Fisher, had taken up with him despite his poverty (not a penny). The spat
between the two ladies was well known at the time, as Kitty taunted Lucy for dropping
her lover. Kitty claimed she had found a ribbon around him a serious jibe at Lucy, as
prostitutes at that time kept their money tied around the thigh with a ribbon.
So not such a nice theme for the kiddies luckily, the passing of time has been enough
to hide the truth: that this rhyme records a spat between two courtesans!
BOOKS
10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes
Check out our new companion site: http: //knowledgenuts.com
9
Georgie Porgie
Georgie Porgy pudding and pie
Kissed all the girls and made them cry
When the boys came out to play
Georgie Porgie ran away
Georgie Porgie could be one of two men either George Villiers (16-17th century) or
Prince Regent George (late 18th century).
The first was an up-start who wormed or earned his way into the court of King
James I. George Villiers was likely a bisexual, who had an intense and fairly well-
documented attachment to the king. King James was extremely fond of George, and
gave him money and titles. While there is no sure, definitive proof of a homosexual
relationship between the two, King Jamess affection was without doubt. Either way,
George still loved the ladies and was rumoured to be fond of seducing noblemens wives
sometimes without the consent of the ladies in question. This fact, together with well-
known (and probably very necessary) ability to avoid confrontation, makes him a good fit
for the nursery rhyme.
As much as George Villiers may seem like the perfect candidate, my money is actually
on Prince Regent George. He was enormously fat, and notoriously gluttonous. He
couldnt fit regular clothes, but he certainly fits the rhyme. He wasnt the sharpest tool
in the shed, but he definitely loved the ladies. The last couplet might refer to an incident
where George attended a bare-knuckle boxing match which left one contestant dead. He
ran away and hid himself, afraid of a potential scandal.
So Georgie Porgie is really a coward, a cad and a glutton. Not the best moral for your
children, perhaps.
8
Oranges and Lemons
Oranges and lemons
Say the bells of St Clemens,
You owe me five farthings
Say the bells of St Martins,
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey,
When I grow rich
Say the bells of Shoreditch,
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney,
I do not know
Says the great bell of Bow,
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
And here comes a chopper
To chop off your head!
Chip, chop, chip, chop
The last one is dead!
The second part of this rhyme is a clue to the purpose of the first part the poor fellow
ends up dead! The bells belong to famous churches in London; its possible that these
were the churches a condemned man would pass, on his way to his execution.
St Clemens, the first church, is likely that in Eastcheap. The Eastcheap docks saw the
unloading of cargo from the Mediterranean often including oranges and lemons. But
not only fruit was unloaded at Eastcheap: it was also the dock at which condemned men
would disembark, to begin their final journey.
7
Pop Goes the Weasel
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
Thats the way the money goes,
Pop goes the weasel.
Up and down the City Road
In and out of the Eagle
Every night when I go out
The monkeys on the table
Take a stick and knock it off,
A penny for a ball of thread
Another for a needle
Pop goes the weasel seems at first glance to be a nonsense rhyme, one without any
purpose behind it at all but really its an account of poverty, pawnbroking, minimum
wage, and a serious night out on the town.
The weasel in the rhyme is a winter coat, which has to be pawned or popped in
exchange for various things. The first verse describes the cheapest food available; the
narrator of the poem has no money, so pop goes the weasel. The second verse
describes a night out at a music hall called the Eagle Tavern, which was located on the
City Road. But music halls and drinks cost money. Pop goes the weasel. The third
verse is a bit more obscure than the first two; a monkey is slang for a tankard, while
knocking off a stick was slang for drinking. The last verse probably refers to the
narrators day job.
So this little nonsensical ditty is actually about struggling to make ends meet. Its still
an upbeat tune, letting the reader see that a night on the town is well worth the week of
terrible food, wages and general living conditions.
6
Rub A Dub Dub
Rub a dub dub
Three men in a tub
And how do you think they got there?
The butcher, the baker and the candlestick-maker
It was enough to make a man stare.
At first its a bit homoerotic then we read the original, or at least the oldest known
version:
Rub a dub dub
Three maids in a tub
And how do you think they got there?
The butcher, the baker and the candlestick-maker
And all of them gone to the fair.
Well, it sounds like a peep show might be in town. Peep shows were a popular form of
entertainment in the 14th century, and it appears that our friends have gone to catch a
glimpse of the maids in the tub. Rub a dub dub
5
Mary Mary Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row.
This one has a bit of a sad, nostalgic ring to it only increased when you realize that in
some versions, garden is replaced with graveyard. The Mary here is probably Mary I,
daughter of Henry VIII and sister to Elizabeth I.
Henry VIII was initially married to Catherine of Aragon, and the couple had one child,
Mary. But Henry wanted a son and always true to the notion of killing two birds with
stone, he decided to do this by getting into the pants of Anne Boleyn, one of his wifes
ladies in waiting. To cut a long story short, Henry was refused a divorce by the Pope so
he created the Anglican Church with himself at the head, thereby isolating himself from
Catholic Europe. After divorcing Catherine and marrying Anne, he had one child with the
latter Elizabeth. Needless to say, that marriage didnt work out either. Henry had
Anne executed, and went through another couple of wives in an attempt to find a son.
After his death, the throne went to Mary, who promptly tried to make England Catholic
again. So Mary went quite contrary to Englands wishes by this stage, a lot of people
were happily Protestant. In the rhyme, garden sounds a lot like Gardiner the name of
Marys only religious supporter. It could also be a dig at Marys own infertility, or if
garden is replaced by graveyard, a reference to the growing pile of dead Protestants.
Given that silver bells, cockleshells and maids are also terms for torture devices of the
age, it no longer seems such a pretty little rhyme.
4
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa baa black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for the Master,
One for the Dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
And with the original ending
And none for the little boy who cries down the lane.
The song is definitely not about black sheep, or even little boys its about taxes! Back
in the 13th century, King Edward I realized that he could make some decent cash by
taxing the sheep farmers. As a result of the new taxes, one third of the price of a sack of
wool went to the king, one third to the church and the last third to the farmer. Nothing
was left for the shepherd boy, crying down the lane. As it happens, black sheep are also
bad luck: the fleece cant be dyed, and so its worth less to the sheep farmer. Baa Baa
Black Sheep is a tale of misery and woe.
Humpty Dumpty
3
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings horses and all the Kings men
Couldnt put Humpty together again!
Humpty Dumpty wasnt a real person; nor was he an odd, fragile egg-shaped thing. It
turns out that Humpty Dumpty was a cannon. Owned by the supporters of King Charles
I, Humpty Dumpty was used to gain control over the city of Colchester during the
English Civil War. Once in Colchester, the cannon sat on church tower until a barrage of
cannonballs destroyed the tower and sent Humpty into the marshland below. Although
retrieved, the cannon was beyond repair. Humpty the cannon was a feared and effective
weapon as the full rhyme demonstrates:
In sixteen hundred and forty-eight
When England suffered pains of state
The Roundheads laid siege to Colchester town
Where the Kings men still fought for the crown.
There one-eyed Thompson stood on the wall
A gunner with the deadliest aim of all
From St Marys tower the cannon he fired
Humpty Dumpty was his name.
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings horses and all the Kings men
Couldnt put Humpty Dumpty together again!
And you though it was all about an egg? A 19th century illustration in Lewis Carrolls
Through the Looking-Glass created this myth. When Alice talks to Humpty Dumpty on
the wall, the illustrator apparently at a whim made him egg-shaped. Given the
popularity of the book, a generation of kids grew up thinking that Humpty Dumpty was
a nonsense rhyme about an egg, rather than a fearsome killing machine.
2
Ladybird Ladybird
Ladybird ladybird fly away home
Your house is on fire and your children are gone,
All except one called Anne
For she has crept under the frying pan.
This poor little ladybird is really a Catholic in 16th century Protestant England. Ladybird
is a word that comes from the Catholic term for Our Lady. It was illegal for Catholics to
practice their religion, and non-attendance of Protestant services meant hefty fines for
absentees. Catholics were forced to say Mass and attend services in secret, often
outdoors and in outbuildings. The fire may refer to the Catholic priests who were
burned at the stake for their beliefs.
1
Ring A Ring of Roses
Ring a ring a roses,
A pocket full of posies
A-tish-oo, a-tish-oo
We all fall down
This is one nursery rhyme origin we think we already know to be sinister. But it has
nothing at all to do with the Black Death. The first known reference to the rhyme is in
1881, more than 500 years after the plague swept across Europe. By all accounts, it
seems to be a nonsense rhyme and in its 1881 form, there isnt even any sneezing.
Heres a version from the mid 20th century:
Ring a ring a roses,
A pocket full of posies
One, two, three, four,
We all fall down down
The sneezing was added sometime in the last 50 years or so. So this one really is just a
nice little rhyme no ulterior meanings at all!
ENJOYED THIS LIST?
MORE GREAT LISTS
BOOKS
15 Influential Early Works of Apocalyptic Fiction
MAY 19, 2009
BOOKS
10 Books with Alien Aliens
MARCH 25, 2012
BOOKS
10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes
NOVEMBER 28, 2012
BOOKS
10 Greatest American Short Story Writers
JULY 30, 2009
56 comments
Join the discussion
4
SHARE
Best Best Community Community Login Login Share Share
Reply
Jani s a year ago
Now that I come to think of it, we have seriously hideous lullabies in Spanish. We don't
even need to unravel their origin to know they're sinister. I'd like to share some
translations soon if you like.

43
Reply
Owl a year ago
The last one is so wrong.
Ring around the roses
Pocket full of posies
Ashes ashes
We all fall down
That's how everyone learns it and it's definitely about the black plague.

43

5
Reply
Xyroze a year ago Owl
Oh? That's weird. It sounds almost like you are just basing that statement on
purely anecdotal evidence, but that can't be true because you said it was
definite..

26

1
Reply
sweet t rav 11 months ago Xyroze
Ring around the rosie refers to the ring around the pink puss filled bubole
caused by the plague; pocket full of posies is the sachet that people used
to carry and hold over their mouths because they thought that the plague
was airborne; everyone falling down is them dying.

2
Reply
Xyroze 11 months ago sweettrav
Yes.. So the myth went. And as such it has been debunked..

5
Reply
Nat al i e a year ago Owl
You are not wrong. That is the common American version. In Britain we have
atishoo. Some countries use hush hush instead.

8
Reply
Guest a year ago Natalie
Yea, I've always heard "Hush-ah, Hush-ah, we all fall down." Here in
Canada.

1
Mom424 a year ago Mod Guest
In my part of Canada too, though we start it with Ring around the
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Reply
In my part of Canada too, though we start it with Ring around the
Rosie...

1
Reply
Agent 119 a year ago Owl
Source please.

9

1
Reply
kat yanna a year ago Agent119
if the list authors don't have to source, why should commentars?
Ladybird Ladybird is actually about gay sex. see what i did there?

11

3
Reply
khang a year ago katyanna
They don't have to but they should, sourcing only helps their
arguments. Same for the authors.

4
Reply
kat yanna a year ago khang
yes, honey, that's the joke.

1
Reply
see more
Dr. Ji ngo a year ago Owl
Wrong.
The earliest version of the rhyme comes from the 1790s, centuries after the
black plague was around. It's in German, and it translates as:
"Ringed, ringed row.
We are three of the children, sitting under an elder bush.
We all call: Hush, hush, hush!
Sit down."
The earliest version in English is about as old. It comes from Massachusetts also
in the 1790s. It goes:
"Ring a ring a Rosie,
A bottle full of posie,
All the girls in our town
Ring for little Josie"

5
Ceara a year ago Dr. Jingo
Not trying to argue or prove you wrong, but I know the reason people think
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Reply
Not trying to argue or prove you wrong, but I know the reason people think
"Ring Around the Rosie" is referencing the Black Death. When the Black
Death ravaged Europe, people tried anything they could think of to try to
keep from getting the virus. Since it can be spread through food, and
through the air, it was very difficult to avoid. Well, people started carrying
flowers around with them all of the time. They believed that if they only
inhaled the air around the flowers then the plague could not get them.
Some people would even tie the flowers around their necks as a sort of
necklace (ring around the rosie), and they would also carry flowers in their
pockets (a pocket full of posies). The "ashes ashes" section would refer
to how the skin of the victims would turn black right before death, and "we
all fall down" would be them dying. It's possible, however, that this version
was written several years later to purposefully reference the Black Death.
I don't know all of the details, but there you go. :)

5
Reply
Mi ssy a year ago Owl
It's has always been atishoo, not ashes. It has only been changed because when
the meaning of the rhyme was explained to children, they got scared because
they thought that they would die if they sneezed. The rhyme is not the problem it's
the 'experts' that have poisoned the minds of innocents.

4

3
Reply
st eve a year ago Owl
"Ring a Ring o' Roses" or "Ring Around the Rosie" is a nursery rhyme or folksong
andplayground singing game. It first appeared in print in 1881; but it is reported
that a version was already being sung to the current tune in the 1790s and similar
rhymes are known from across Europe. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of
7925. Urban legend says the song originally described the plague, but folklorists
reject this idea.
Source: Wikipedia is your friend dumbass

2

1
Reply
St orme Davi s 11 months ago Owl
just because you learnt it like that, it doesn't mean it's the only version. I learned it
like it is on the list.

Reply
Tal i a Rei l l y a year ago Owl
There seems to be a few variations of this poem, the ashes ashes one may have
been from the black death era. I learnt the a-tish-oo version growing up..

rl rose328 a year ago
I'd always been told that Ring Around the Roses was about the Black Plague until I read
a snopes article with good details refuting that, so check it out.
http://www.snopes.com/language...
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Reply
http://www.snopes.com/language...

6
Reply
Agent 119 a year ago rlrose328
That's how you do it!

8
Reply
ozzy a year ago Agent119
If this is not about the BLACK DEATH" and is only a harmless rhyme,
then i wonder how it came into existence? and where? It definitely sounds
as if it is about SOMETHING..
THE ROSIE----i wonder if "the rosie" was an object or thing? and the
children danced around it ----like dancing around a maypole perhaps.

2

2
Reply
Mom424 a year ago Mod
Excellent job - well researched and interesting. Didn't know most of them; always a win.
Pop Goes the Weasel is a new version to me (although likely the oldest), ours went All
around the Mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel, the monkey thought it was all
in fun, Pop goes the Weasel. Come to think about it, yours makes more sense.

3
Reply
Eri n a year ago Mom424
That's one of the ones I've heard too. The other was 'foxes chase the weasel' but
I agree the one in the list makes more sense. Possibly this is an American/ North
East version?

1
Reply
Gi na a year ago
I think this is my favourite list! Brilliantly written and very informative! The only thing
wrong with it was that Henry VIII only had to marry once more to gain the son he wanted,
but as his 3rd wife died in childbirth, he married thrice more.
That's just extra detail, though and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this list!

3
Reply
l awn a year ago Gina
One more detail: Mary didn't directly succeed Henry; his only son Edward, who
tried and failed to keep Mary off the throne, was in between. Otherwise, great list,
really interesting. Thank you.

2
Reply
El ye a year ago lawn
And don't forget the nine days' queen, Jane Grey, who came before
Edward.

1
Gi na a year ago Elye
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Reply
Gi na a year ago Elye
I didn't even notice that it said she succeeded Edward!
And yes, Lady Jane Grey the poor cow, didn't even want to be
Queen and was killed after 9 days. Good ol' England!

Reply
Jay a year ago Gina
Lady Jane Grey wasn't killed after 9 days. That's just how long she
was queen. Queen Mary I kept her alive for awhile after that,
because she did not want to kill her cousin. Lady Jane Grey was
beheaded later, because she refused to switch to the Catholic
religion, and also because the Spanish prince was pushing for
Lady Jane's execution.

1
Reply
Al i ci aj ade a year ago
I live in Colchester, it's not a city
We get very touchy about this sort of thing ahahaa

2
Reply
Shaguft a Maj eed 9 months ago
london bridge is falling down fallaing down falling down, I dont remember the rest bt I use
to wonder everytime I sang it for my niece,

1
Reply
fenechc02 2 months ago Shagufta Majeed
london bridge is falling down fallaing down falling down
london bridge is falling down fallaing down falling down
my fair lady
thats all i got :)

Reply
kat t en a year ago
http://listverse.com/2009/08/1... I trust this one more

1
Reply
Donz a year ago
I remember everyone saying that #1 was about the plague and being annoyed because it
wasn't...it's so nice for someone to agree with me for once! :D

1
ari el l i ndz a year ago
I'm pretty sure Ring a Ring of Roses is still about the Plague. Just because it was written
after the fact, doesn't mean it was not still inspired by the events of the Plague that swept
through England.
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Reply
through England.

2

2
Reply
Agent 119 a year ago ariellindz
Source please.

2

2
Reply
Fuzz a year ago
I learnt a different lyric for pop goes the weasel. About a mulberry bush. Didn't know
about the others...but number 1 is defiantly about the black plague. That's how it's learnt

2

3
Reply
Meowt h a year ago Fuzz
I learnt the Mulberry bush lyrics too
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/a116a...
Round and round the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey stopped to pull up his socks
And Pop goes the weasel.

3
Reply
Jt rodrei gez a year ago Meowth
So the monkey subjected the weasel to a hate crime then

Reply
Agent 119 a year ago Fuzz
Source please!

2

2
Reply
S4l em a year ago
Eenie Meenie minie mo,
Catch a nigger by the toe
If he hollers let him go
Eenie Meenie Minie mo

1

2
Reply
El i zabet h Gagn 24 days ago
Nobody actually knows the origin or meaning of the 'Ring Around the Rosie' or 'Ring a
Ring a Rosie.' It's old and the meaning has been lost. Because of this, the meaning is
however you decide to interpret it. You may decide it's just sweet girl dancing with
flowers or the Black Plague. It's your own opinion as there is no real proof anymore.

Wi ki al i t y 2 months ago
I know this doesn't matter 11 months after the fact but we of Gen Y always heard in
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Reply
I know this doesn't matter 11 months after the fact but we of Gen Y always heard in
school "ring around the rosies" was about Spanish flu and other such illnesses not
bubonic plague. Now this doesn't fit into any timeline but before people make social
obsevations: I and people my age did not write the syllabus we were taught.

Reply
Becca Avi l a 4 months ago
That song "Down by the Bay" is about a little kid running away from home because
his/her mother had schizophrenia and filled his/her head with all those ridiculous things
she saw.

Reply
j essi ca a year ago
if you look, there were several plague outbreaks that swept through europe, although
none as detrimental as the one of the 14th century. and there ARE just as many articles
supporting the claim that the plague inspired the rhyme as there are refuting it. A "rosy"
or "rosie" is the beginning of the red patches that would spring up and turn into the
buboes (hence bubonic) the pneumonic plague could be the sneezing. Anywho, here is
an article that refutes the snopes article:http://www.rhymes.org.uk/ring_...

Reply
mani shat hakur a year ago
I have really Like it Origin of Nursery Rhymes.
http://womenromanticscents.sna...

Reply
chri st i an a year ago
wow hideous meanings

Reply
anon a year ago
As to #7 weasel could have been many things--- this straight from wikipedia:
Perhaps because of the obscure nature of the lyrics there have been many suggestions
for their significance, particularly
over the meaning of the phrase 'Pop! goes the weasel', including: that it is a tailor's flat
iron, a hatter's tool, a clock reel used for measuring in spinning, a piece of silver plate, or
that 'weasel and stoat' is Cockney rhyming slang for 'coat', which is 'popped or pawned'
to visit, or after visiting, the Eagle pub.
Time has blurred a lot of these. Interesting subject though and nicely done list.

Reply
Nat al i e a year ago
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki...

Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Load more comments
WHAT ' S T HI S? ALSO ON LISTVERSE
10 Reasons Li ncoln Was Secretly A
Terri ble Presi dent
189 comments a day ago
Professor of Wumbol ogy Morris's
thought process: Lincoln was not an
abolitionist nor a perfect president so
10 Fasci nati ng Facts About Argenti na
67 comments a day ago
Guest A few more facts about
Argentina you may find interesting: -
Tango is an important music
10 Fri ghteni ng Fai ri es You Don t Want
To Mess Wi th
15 comments 9 hours ago
Arj an Hut Heresy!(-:The notion that
fairies are fiction is probably Pixie-
propaganda :-)
The 10 Most Devi ous Ant Mi mi cs
15 comments 3 days ago
Hadeskabi r Treehoppers look like
something out of a horror movie.
Reply
Nat al i e a year ago
In school we were taught number 1 was about the plague. The pocket full of posies part
referred to something the doctors used to keep the stench of death from their noses.
So either this list is wrong or I had several stupid teachers!
Just the other day I was singing Ladybird Ladybird to my daughter,and thought what a
strange rhyme it was for children.

Reply
Ray a year ago
Wikipedia article on Humpty Dumpty (#3) suggests other origins, ie Richard 111 defeat
at Bosworth Field, or Humpty Dumpty was 18th slang for a fat clumsy person.

Subs cri be Add Di s qus to your s i te
Share
Share
Listverse is a Trademark of Listverse Ltd.
Copyright (c) 20072013 Listverse Ltd
All Rights Reserved.
Web Design by FHOKE

10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes - Listverse

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes - Listverse

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

12/6/13 10 Sinister Origins of Nursery Rhymes - Listverse

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen