goes the weasel. So the poor little doggie had none. Discuss this dark rhyme with the community: 0 Comments. “Pop goes the weasel” was actually slang for “pawn your coat” and the Eagle refers to a pub, said to have been frequented by Charles Dickens. Little Bo peep has lost her sheep By Casey McClain Sep 12, 2020. We all fall down! When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. 10 Interesting Facts About the State of Alabama, 50 Amazing Facts About Outer Space and Earth, 24 Terrifying, Thoughtful and Absurd Nursery Rhymes for Children. At any rate, that’s the way the money goes, so says the song. Jack and Jill are actually France’s Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were convicted of treason during the French Revolution, otherwise known as the Reign of Terror, and beheaded. They said the Yankees would ignorantly refer to feathers in their caps as macaroni or something of high fashion. Once a very powerful member of the clergy, he found himself in Henry VIII's bad books because he was unable to get him the divorce from Katherine that he so badly wanted. “As she sat on a bush, I’ll sing a psalm.” And pretty maids all in a row. She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed, Old Mother Hubbard isn't even a woman, if the theories are to be believed. One speculation is that Jack is King Louis XVI who broke his crown by being beheaded, and Jill would be Marie Antionette whose head came tumbling after. Nursery rhymes familiar to us all probably bring back good memories of a time when life was simple; all you had to do was look cute and you were doted over. The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh After England turned Protestant following King Henry VIII's creation of the Anglican Church, there were plenty of Catholic priests who refused to follow the Protestant faith. Nighttime can be a very scary time. We get why the girls cried, and why Georgie Porgie ran away when the “boys came out to play.”. The theory of it being a reference to those of the Catholic faith is due to the mention of not saying prayers, as typically the prayers of those in the Catholic faith were spoken in Latin at the time. “Who’ll be chief mourner?” “I,” said the Dove, While the Bubonic Plaque ravaged England, peasants used a rhyme to spread the word about equality. The original versions and real stories behind the fairy tales we've been whispering to sleepy children. What could be sweeter? To spread the tale of their conquest, the vikings reportedly created the song to iconicize their destructive ways. Little Bo Peep doesn’t seem to refer to anyone or event in history, but is a warning about the consequences of irresponsibility. So depending on which origin you pick, it’s either a grisly or greedy tale. Who would have thought that such a cute term as “goosey goosey” actually refers to religious persecution? There is also speculation that this rhyme originated from the Great Fire of London in 1666. As you sang the lyrics, "we all fall down," you fell into a heap while possibly giggling about the silliness of the rhyme and its playground ritual. And couldn’t get up in the morning. If you think this little ditty is actually about gardening, you'd be wrong. The same is true for nursery rhymes. When the bough breaks, I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die! The more he saw the less he spoke But she didn’t “cut off their tails with a carving knife.” Rather, she had them burned at the stake. Who cut off their tails with a carving knife, And this song is sung to children as a lullaby. You’d think that those who wrote any material meant for the eyes and ears of young, innocent children would derive inspiration from rainbows and butterflies and other sunshiny things. Under the guise of children’s entertainment, many rhymes that were encoded with secret messages throughout history have endured the test of time and are still with us today. Atish-oo, atish-oo, we all fall down. Little Miss Muffet was written in the sixteenth century by Dr. Muffet, the stepfather of a small girl named Patience Muffet. A time in our lives when you were carefree, when you didn’t have jobs or pressing duties and obligations. The pocket of posies were the herbs carried about as air fresheners or possibly herbal medicines, which were ineffective. So it seems the song was written as a commentary on the financial state of the common folk, and how sometimes it really is easy come, easy go. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly; Sweet dreams, kiddo! Pop! “Who’ll toll the bell?” “I,” said the bull, Some of us might know a nursery rhyme or two, but rarely do we know the source or meaning behind the words. Whomever would have thought a giant egg sitting on the wall could reference a cannon during the English Civil War? Old Mother Hubbard supposedly refers to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and his botched attempt to obtain an annulment for King Henry VIII of England. Let's take a closer look at some of these disturbing nursery rhymes, and perhaps you'll think twice before teaching them to your kids. History | Nostalgia by Gerri on December 15th, 2011. In children’s books, Humpty Dumpty is portrayed as a large egg, usually dressed like a little boy. “Because I can pull, I’ll toll the bell.” Jack and Jill went up the hill, Another theory is that the Jack refers to a half pint, and Jill is a gill which is a quarter pint measure. Share on Facebook Share on Linkedin. The three mice are believed to be a trio of Protestant bishops, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Radley, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, who conspired to overthrow Mary. Jack be Nimble, Jack be Quick! For many generations the Horner family dwelled in Mells Manor and were said to claim that Thomas Horner purchased the deed from the King. Did you ever see such a thing in your life. But when she awoke, she found it a joke, The lyrics of Old Mother Hubbard are actually not child-friendly, which is strange that it’s considered a children’s nursery rhyme. “Who’ll sing a psalm?” “I,” said the Thrush, Farmers have long known the beneficial qualities of ladybugs as a natural predator of destructive insects. Ring around the rosy Does this mean he eats her? “I mourn for my love, I’ll be chief mourner.” Gossiping, criticizing the government or even talking about current events were often punishable by death. In a time when it was not wise to openly voice your opinions, this would be quite the jab at him in metaphorical poetry. Naturally, The Simpsons parodied "Rock-A-Bye Baby"'s horrid implications in their very first short on The Tracy Ullman Show. “With my little dish, I caught his blood.” As Buzzfeed points out, there is a very specific lyric in this rhyme that points to its dark roots, "He couldn't get up in the morning because he died. Half a pound of treacle. The live birds that were put in the pie are back for revenge in this verse. An article in Education.com speaks of the rhyme’s origins and no, it’s not about a sweet little granny. The original last two lines of the nursery rhyme were, “None for the little boy who lives down the lane,” which was supposedly in reference to the tenants. The cupboard was bare Legend has it that the origins are rooted in colonial times, when Native Americans lulled their babies to sleep on cradles tied to tree branches. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, Share Share Tweet Email Comment. The children’s song or poem “London Bridge” is found in many different languages, which makes it very interesting and difficult to figure out the origins. If the child isn't killed, it's at least going to need immediate medical attention. The “silver bells” and “cockleshells” are torture devices from her time, and the “pretty maids all in a row” are referred to the hundreds of women burnt at the stake for the crime of being Protestant. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider, London Bridge bridge is falling down, down And the three blind mice who “all ran after the farmer’s wife” are three Protestant noblemen who tried to overthrow her from her throne. Throughout the ages it’s gone by many similar titles, but even if the one you know is slightly different, the origins and meanings are surely the same. A woman who has a relatively small problem makes it progressively worse, which ultimately leads to her death. The Mary referred to in this rhyme, is Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. For they left their tails behind them. A "rosie" ring was a symptom of the deadly disease and posies were often carried in pockets to ward off the stench of death that was often inescapable. Parents may want to think twice before singing these songs to their kids, given their dark meanings and origins. In most drawings, Ms. Hubbard is depicted wearing a blue dress or gown, which also may be a reference to Cardinal Wolsey as he was said to have four blue leopard heads upon his robe and on his banner. When Mary came to the throne, she wanted to convert England to Catholicism again, going “contrary” to England's wishes, since most of England was happily Protestant. Well, according to popular opinion about this nursery rhyme, quite a lot of things, actually. Notify me of new comments via email. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. That’s one farmer’s wife you didn’t want to cross. To fetch a pail of water. How to pronounce dark? To tack again each to its lambkin. Goosey Goosey Gander is quite a horrid children’s poem at face value, with a goose throwing someone down the stairs. Publish × Close Report Comment. Well, many think Humpty Dumpty, the cannon, resided upon a wall at St. Mary’s Church in Colchester, England. Solomon Grundy is more widely known now as a D.C. Comics character. The “three men in a tub” in Rub a Dub Dub makes for a strange picture, especially to a precocious child because really, what would three men be doing together in a tub? Solomon Grundy Hence the line, “a pocket full of posies.” And then finally, death took the victims, as depicted in the last line, “we all fall down.”. Little Boy Blue come blow your horn, Those who fell ill gave off a very pungent smell, which was covered up with flowers. On the last day of September. Share Share Tweet Email Comment. So, to avoid punishment, they set up small rooms in their homes, called priest's holes, to pray in. The American roots of this odd rhyme come from a young pilgrim who saw Native American mothers hanging cradles in trees. Nursery rhymes familiar to us all probably bring back good memories of a time when life was simple; all you had to do was look cute and you were doted over. While the latter featured all ten of the little Indians as guests of Old King Cole, the former was about ten people getting killed on an island.