Twisted Rhymes

With Jenny growing older and becoming more verbal, we have started playing nursery rhymes at home.  There are so many versions of the same rhymes...some with better music, some slower, some with better enunciation and so on.  There is no lack of variety.  And they are quite cute...one can keep them playing at home and not be bothered by them.  But if one pays closer attention to these rhymes, they can be quite disturbing.  And I am not kidding.  They are really, really dark.  So dark, that I would actually think twice before explaining their meanings to my child.  In this blog, I intend to showcase some choicest rhymes and their meanings.  Thanks to the internet, I found sources that already dealt with the topic like I did.

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep:  This song apparently has its roots in slave-trade related matters.  It has its origins around the year 1744 and it comes from Britain.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Rock-a-bye Baby:  Another British 1765 rhyme.  One attributed story of origin is that the baby is supposed to be the son of James VII and II, who was widely believed to be someone else's child smuggled into the birthing room in order to provide a Catholic heir for James.  The "wind" may be that political "wind" or force "blowing" or coming from the Netherlands bringing James' nephew and son-in-law, William III of England, a.k.a. William of Orange, who would eventually depose King James II in the revolution. (Source: Wikipedia)

Jack and Jill:  1765 Britain again.  One possible explanation is that Jack and Jill signify the 18th century Louis XVI of France, who was deposed and beheaded (lost his crown), and his Queen, Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after).  (Source: Wikipedia)

London Bridge Is Falling Down:  1659 Britain.  The theory that the song refers to the burying, perhaps alive, of children in the foundations of the bridge was first advanced by Alice Bertha Gomme (later Lady Gomme) in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland.  This was based around the idea that 'primitive' cultures believed that a bridge would collapse unless the body of a human sacrifice were buried in its foundations.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Ring a Ring o' Roses:  1790 USA.  
(Source: http://www.fairiesvampires.com/forum/topics/nursery-rhymes-hidden-meanings)

• "Ring around the rosy" - A plague buboe appears on someone's cheek, that make little rings that look like rosé bumps all over the person’s body.
• "A pocket full of posies" - A popular way of fending off the plague… they thought the foul air caused the plague, so they tried making the air sweet.
• "Atischoo, atischoo" - Sneezing was an early sign of plague infection
• (or) "Ashes, ashes" - It’s about the Burial of the Dead ("Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" )
• (or) "Husha, husha" - "Be quiet, he's about to die."
• "We all fall down" - We all die

Humpty Dumpty:  1797 Britain.  One theory is that Humpty Dumpty is King Richard III of England, depicted in Tudor histories, and particularly in Shakespeare's play, as humpbacked and who was defeated, despite his armies at Bosworth Field in 1485.  (Source: Wikipedia)

I guess I made my point clear...these are some of the most beloved nursery rhymes...and yet, many fail to understand where they come from.  I am not saying the origins I quoted are accurate or precise.  I just intended to show that there is more to them that meets the eye.

I have found another site (http://www.rhymes.org.uk/nursery-rhyme.htm) which deals with this topic.  I would like to quote one or two points from this site, as they made a lot of sense to me.

1. A rhyme is often short and easy to remember and this was a critical element when many people were unable to read or write and a rhyme was verbally passed from generation to generation - it was also a vital element when commoners wanted to comment on the events of the day!  It must be remembered that direct criticism or dissent would often have been punishable by death!
2. The wording of an individual rhyme can often be associated with historical events and the plausible explanations given to many a rhyme can be seen as political satire.  The first really important English rhyme dates back to the fourteenth century!  This little rhyme was passed quickly from one person to another, was easily remembered and led to an English revolution - a call for recognition and class equality!

In short, nursery rhymes do have their values and there is a sense in teaching them to our kids.  But it would be good if parents would just think and understand what they are teaching instead of just blindly singing them to your kid.