One of the weirdest forms of poetry, believe it or not, is the nursery rhyme. We rarely think of them or their meaning. We grew up memorizing these surreal lines of verse we heard from our grandmas. Some of us have even fallen asleep to them. There couldn’t possibly be some kind of weird, twisted history to them, could there? Well… surprise!
The Secret History of Nursery Rhymes: When Singing leads to Revolution
Singing Revolution, way before the Beatles did! The wording of some rhymes can be associated with historical events and many explanations given to these rhymes can be seen as political satire. This little rhyme, for example, was passed quickly from one person to another. It was easy to remember and it eventually led to an English revolution—nothing less than a call for recognition and class equality!
When Adam delved and Eve span
Who was then a gentleman
To delve means to work, and ‘span’ refers to spinning yarn; the general meaning is, there was no class distinction when there was only Adam and Eve. When this rhyme started spreading, the Bubonic Plague (Black Death) had wiped out a third of the population in England. Peasants realised they were important to the economy. The ‘Adam and Eve’ rhyme was spread together with its idea of equality, which eventually led to the Peasants Revolt of 1381.
RING AROUND THE ROSIE (1881)
Common British versions include:
Ring-a-ring o’ roses,
A pocket full of posies,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down.
Common American versions include:
Ring-a-round the rosie,
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down.
Be prepared; this is a scary one. It first appeared in print in 1881, but it is reported that a version was already being sung to the current tune in the 1790’s, and similar rhymes are known from across Europe. Though its lyrics and even the title have had some changes over the years, the most popular meaning refers to the 1665 Great Plague of London. “The rosie” was the rash that covered the afflicted, while “a pocket full of posies” was the way they tried to cover up the smell resulting from the disease. The plague wiped out nearly 15% of the country’s population, which makes the final verse, “Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down” quite self-explanatory.
ROCK-A-BYE BABY
The most common version used today is:
Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
This one is quite far from what it seems. The theory seems to be that the lyrics refer to events immediately preceding the Glorious Revolution. The baby is supposed to be the son of James VII, who was widely believed to be someone else’s child smuggled into the birthing room in order to provide a Roman Catholic heir for James. The “wind” may be that Protestant “wind” or force “blowing,” coming from the Netherlands bringing James’ nephew and son-in-law William of Orange, who would eventually depose King James II in the revolution (the same “Protestant Wind” that had saved England from the Spanish Armada a century earlier). The “cradle” would be the royal House of Stuart. The earliest recorded version of the words in print appeared with a footnote, “this may serve as a warning to the Proud and Ambitious, who climb so high that they generally fall at last,” which may be read as supporting a satirical meaning.
HUMPTY DUMPTY
The most common version used today is:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
Humpty Dumpty was not a living egg. It was in fact believed to be a large cannon! It was used during the English Civil War (1642 – 1649). In 1648 the town of Colchester was a walled town with a castle and several churches. It was protected at the time by the city wall. Standing immediately next to the city wall, was St Mary’s Church. A huge cannon, colloquially called Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed on the wall next to St Mary’s Church. A shot from a Parliamentary cannon happened to hit the wall beneath Humpty Dumpty, which caused the cannon to fall to the ground. The Royalists attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty back on top of another part of the wall. However, they didn’t succeed, because the cannon was so heavy that ‘All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.’
MARY MARY, QUITE CONTRARY
The most common modern version is:
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
This popular English nursery rhyme is actually a satire about the homicidal nature of Queen Mary I of England, also known as Bloody Mary. A fierce believer in Catholicism, her reign as queen—from 1553 to 1558—was marked by the execution of hundreds of Protestants. Silver bells and cockle shells were actually torture devices and Queen Mary used to execute her victims by burning them alive at the stake! It’s no wonder that this Queen has since been known as Bloody Mary!
Do we need to tell our children about all this? Perhaps…perhaps not. Maybe as they grow older, these stories can give children a clearer vision about the world they’ve just landed on. Some of us might end up choosing more innocent rhymes altogether from now on. But whatever we choose, the truth is, it makes one think about it, doesn’t it?