...The Origins Of These Famous Nursery Rhymes; They're Not Pretty! Say goodbye

seribulan

                  
        
You Won't Believe The Origins Of These Famous Nursery Rhymes; They're Not Pretty!                                         

Jack and Jill's tumble down the hill wasn't as pleasant as it sounds... say goodbye to your childhood!

                     
                    
               
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Baa, Baa, Black Sheep ( ...but I ain't got no wool?)

pbs.twimg.com




Before I bombard you with a bunch of corny jokes, I'll note that most scholars agree that "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is about the Great Custom, a tax on whole that was introduced centuries ago. But enough history - the use of the color black and its use of "master" has also led many scholars to believe there is a racial message as its center.

They're not alone >_>. Quite a few schools have banned the usage of this song and even sang "Baa, Baa, Random Sheep" at an alternative.

Who knows if it was made with racist intent, but it doesn't sit right with quite a few people.

2

Goosey Goosey Gander

i.ytimg.com




This song dates back to the late 1700s. Other than a name that I find unequivocally stupid, this song used to be SUPER popular with children.

I can't even think of something that genuinely rhymes with "goosey goosey."

The thing is, this is about religious persecution. Yup, I'm serious. Catholic priests would hide in order to say their Latin-based prayers (this was a big, BIG issue back then). They weren't even allowed to pray in their own homes.

In the original version, it notes that there was a man who "wouldn't say his prayers." Do you know the thing that rhymes with prayers? Yup... STAIRS. You can put the pieces together.

Try telling THAT to your kids at bedtime.




3

Jack and Jill, went up the hill...

manhattaninfidel.org




Everyone and their grandmother has cracked a joke about Jack and Jill, I'm sure. It's one of the most famous rhymes out there. Its origins aren't as cheery as your childhood stories, though.

One of the most common theories surrounding the story’s origin is that it’s about France’s Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were both found guilty of treason and subsequently beheaded. The only problem is that those events occurred nearly 30 years after “Jack and Jill” were first written, this is fact checked by respectable historians.

The more likely possibility is that it’s an account of King Charles I’s attempt to reform the tax on liquid measures. When Parliament rejected his suggestion, he instead made sure that the volume was reduced on half- and quarter-pints, known as jacks and gills, respectively.




4

London Bridge (The ratchet one that fell down)

upload.wikimedia.org




Let's not pretend like you aren't remembering that cheesy song from Fergie. In case you didn't, I'll just shamelessly put a link down here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4HOUbM8FHU

But let's get back to business:

“London Bridge is Falling Down” could be about a 1014 Viking attack, child sacrifice, or the normal deterioration of an old bridge. But the most popular theory seems to be that first one. More specifically: the alleged destruction of London Bridge at the hands of Olaf II of Norway some time in the early 1000s. (“Alleged” because some historians don’t believe that attack ever took place.)

(There’s no archaeological evidence to support the human sacrifice either, but here's the tea The theory goes that in order to keep London Bridge upright, its builders believed that it must be built on a foundation of human sacrifice, and that those same humans—mostly children—would help to watch over the bridge and maintain its sturdiness. Which we’re pretty sure isn’t a the stuff they teach in architecture school.

Well... I'm not an architect, but let's be wishful thinkers.

5

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

www.mamalisa.com

"'Contrary' is one way to describe a murderous psychopath." Don't you think? When you think someone is weird you say they're different, or creative - or some other lie that sounds rather pleasant.

This popular English nursery rhyme, which reads like a solicitation for gardening advice, is actually a recounting of the homicidal nature of Queen Mary I of England, a.k.a. Bloody Mary.

A fierce believer in Catholicism, her reign as queen—from 1553 to 1558—was marked by the execution of hundreds of Protestants.

I'm sure you all are familiar with the delightfully tomato-ey beverage named after her - Bloody Mary. Some even think she was a vampire...

6

THREE BLIND MICE (1805)

www.mamalisa.com

I kept this picture of Bloody Mary for a good reason.

This nursery rhyme is also from the era of the popular fruit drink, (yes, tomatoes are fruit). The trio in question is believed to be a group of Protestant bishops—Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Radley, and The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer—who conspired to overthrow the queen and were burned at the stake for their heresy.

Critics suggest that the blindness in the title refers to their religious beliefs. This nursery rhyme in particular gives me the heebie jeebies. Mary had some serious problems. This is why we do't play with monarchies anymore.


7

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

i.ytimg.com


No, there’s nothing particularly offensive about the lines “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo, Catch a tiger by his toe.” But there is when you consider that the word “tiger” is a relatively new development in this counting rhyme. Replace that T with an N and add a G in there, then you're closer to the real problem within this seemingly playful poem.

Even with the lyrical switch-out, any reference to the poem still has the ability to offend. In 2004, two passengers sued Southwest Airlines was for intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, following an incident where a flight attendant used the rhyme in a humorous fashion during takeoff when she told passengers: "Eeny meeny miny mo, Please sit down it's time to go.”

Of course they didn't win because it was a stupid case, but that's just to illustrate the type of rage that this poem can create.

8

Ring Around The Rosie

blogs.loc.gov




Considering that some of today’s classic nursery rhymes are more than two centuries old, there are often several theories surrounding their origins—and not a lot of sound proof about which argument is correct.

I saved this one for last because it's perhaps the most infamous of nursery rhymes out there. It's title has been changed, quite a few of the lyrics have too - why? Clearly there were some sensitive topics that needed to be covered up.

“The rosie” is the rash that covered the afflicted, the smell from which they attempted to cover up with “a pocket full of posies.” The plague killed nearly 15 percent of the country’s population, which makes the final verse—“Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down”—rather self-explanatory.

by,
                                                    
                            Jeiye Roze
            
   
                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

missselfridge

The origin of another famous nursery rhyme...

Hickory Dickory Dock..

In the case of “Hickory, Dickory, Dock”, the rhyme expresses a part of history associated with a famous Devon site—the Exeter Cathedral. One of the many noteworthy parts of the cathedral is its large astronomical clock. The clock, explains the placard in front of it, dates back to the fifteenth century but was restored so that it still works today. It shows not only the hour, but also the age of the moon on any given day. However, while the design of the clock is fascinating, it is not the focus of the nursery rhyme.

According to an employee at the cathedral, in order to ensure that the clock would function, the clergy needed a method of keeping mice and rats from running up and down the clock ropes. So they built a cat door just below the clock, pictured to the left, in which one of the preacher’s cats could enter to scare away any rodents. When this story was circulated and people understood the purpose of the cat door (and why it was needed in the first place), it reputedly brought rise to the nursery rhyme.

missselfridge

Sorry, tertinggal..

"Hickory, dickory, dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory, dickory, dock."

nut.legacy

Humpty, Dumpty (Nursery Rhyme

Submitted By: Jill
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!

Revolver

menakutkan pulak nak nyanyi lagu2 tu...

neo_5050

Rock-a-bye Baby refers to events preceding theGlorious Revolution. The baby in question is supposed to be the son of King James II of England, but was widely believed to be another man’s child, smuggled into the birthing room to ensure a Roman Catholic heir. The rhyme is laced with connotation: the “wind” may be the Protestant forces blowing in from the Netherlands; the doomed “cradle” the royal House of Stuart. The earliest recorded version of the words in print contained the ominous footnote: “This may serve as a warning to the Proud and Ambitious, who climb so high that they generally fall at last”.

Rock A Bye Baby
Rock-a-bye, baby, in the tree top
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall
Down will come baby, cradle and all

Baby is drowsing, cosy and fair
Mother sits near in her rocking chair
Forward and back, the cradle she swings
Though baby sleeps, he hears what she sings

Rock-a-bye baby, do not you fear
Never mind, baby, mother is near
Wee little fingers, eyes are shut tight
Now sound asleep - until morning light

neo_5050

Ladybird, Ladybird is also about 16th Century Catholics in Protestant England and the priests who were burned at the stake for their beliefs.

Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home.
Your house is on fire and your children all gone;
All except one, and that's little Ann.
And she has crept under the warming pan.

Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home.
Your house is on fire and your children all gone;
All except one, and that's little Ann.
And she has crept under the warming pan.

And she has crept under the warming pan.

cmf_jeangrey

Aiyoo semua lagu2 ni iol hafal
Kalau dah si kecik ada mmg on lagu2 dia je la
Rock a bye baby tu ingatkn modern rupanya zaman purba

Mama.jt

'London Bridge Is Falling Down'

There is much debate about the origin of this nursery rhyme, but all of them seem to agree that nothing good was happening. This rhyme could be about a Viking attack in 1014 led by Olaf II of Norway, who supposedly destroyed the bridge during the attack.

Another tale is that the bridge was built on a foundation of human sacrifices, made up of mostly children. That was supposed to keep the bridge upright, which obviously didn't work if the rhyme is to be believed.

cmf_jeangrey

Hey Diddle Diddle antara bedtime songs yg iol selalu nyanyi kt my son selain Rock a Bye Baby dan Row2 Your Boat...tergerak hati nk google apa history behind it...

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed,
To see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.


Katanya dah wujud seawal 16th century, zaman medieval lagi...
Tahun 1569 Thomas Preston's play ada sebut hey diddle diddle...
Earliest recorded version tahun 1756 dlm Mother Gooses Melody kt London...


Tq @seribulan for this informative thread, terus tergerak hati nk baca history kebykan nursery rhymes ni...and for the kredit...

My hasben dulu2 dah pernah ckp pasal history of the english rhymes tp iols masa tu x ambik pot sgt....bila haritu iols infm dia pasal info dr thread u ni, terus dia kata eh masa i ckp dulu you not interested pulak...kihkih

Iols jugak every week bwk anak gi local library sbb ada free baby group so termasuk nyanyi bbrp lagu nursery rhymes ni...

Ipo

Oh baru tahu lagu Ba Ba Black Sheep tu
obvious ada racial issues...huhuhu

then lagu 'Anak Kecil Main Api'
Lagu ni pun, orang kata ada unsur perkauman ..tapi bagiku ianya pembakar semangat cintakan tanah air
Dulu selalu nyanyi masa assembley kat dewan di sekolah
and now, dengarnya dah tak boleh nyanyi lagu ni.

ANAK KECIL MAIN API

Mrs_barn

Tq mod @seribulan ... Such an informative thread...dok nyanyi2 ngan anak baru tahu the story behind those songs...gigih menggoogle yg lain juga

Mrs_barn

Tapi kalau tgk lagu "baba black sheep" tu mungkin betol la kot..sbb zaman dlu black people mmg kerja kat ladang kapas jd slave...huhu..

bubblegummy

Jack and Jill

This silly nursery rhyme often has people questioning the validity of it simply because water is usually thought to be at the bottom of a hill instead of the top, however, other theories suggest that it has a much deeper meaning than originally thought.

Jack and Jill are assumed to represent Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette but this is often questioned since the dates don't necessarily correlate with each event.

The couple was said to be a greedy couple, carelessly spending money, and investing their life into finer goods (referring to went up the hill to fetch a pail of water - eager gluttony). King Louis XVI was beheaded (lost his crown) in 1793 and Marie Antoinette was then beheaded (came tumbling after) around 10 months after her husbands death.

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.


Sebab threat ni terpanggil nak tahu pasal asal usul nursery rhymes. Dulu2 dok pikir gak mcm mana datang lagu2 ni... Thank you mod @seribulan sbb up this topic.

KILL_NANCY

(1)

Three blind mice, three blind mice,

See how they run, see how they run,

They all ran after the farmer's wife,

Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,

Did you ever see such a thing in your life,

As three blind mice?

We Thought it Meant...

A trio of unfortunate rodents on a mission to find out where the hell they are, eventually run into an old woman who just happens to be skilled in chopping small defenseless animals to pieces. So this one's actually already kind of disturbing on its own.

(2)

Goosey Goosey Gander, whither shall I wander?

Upstairs and downstairs and in my Lady's chamber.

There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,

So I took him by his left leg and threw him down the stairs.

We Thought it Meant...

The town hobo breaking in to various women's rooms and throwing their partners down stairs for being religiously inconsistent.

But Some Experts Say...

Back in 16th century Europe, most people were busy either fighting off plagues or killing off Catholics. Priests especially were in high demand as there was a reward for the Protestant who was able to find and execute one.

(3)

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel;

The monkey thought 'twas all in good sport

Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,

A penny for a needle-

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

We Thought it Meant...

Spontaneous combustion in the animal kingdom, along with an assertion that all monkeys are douchebags.

But Some Experts Say...

Pop goes the Weasel is a merry tune centered on an all too familiar children's theme: the cycle of poverty in society.

A good chunk of the poem is made up of plays on words that are themselves Cockney slang terms from the old days. So for instance, "Pop" is a slang term meaning to pawn something (that is, sell it at a pawn shop) while "weasel" translates to "coat". Does that help? No?

Well, the deal was that no matter how piss poor a London man was back in the day, he was expected to own a suit in order to dress nicely on Sunday. The trick to being able to do this was to pawn your suit ("Pop goes the weasel") on Monday and then purchase it back before Sunday.

Source

@seribulan

Lellol

Rock a bye baby memang bunyi merdu, innocent je. Tapi bila kita start nyanyi hari2 kat anak mula la fikir...”aphal nyanyi lagi pasal baby cradle falling of a tree?!” Tak nyanyi dah.

Tapi memang rock a bye baby nursery rhyme yg anak political dan boleh digunakan dengan isu politik semasa. Macam “clever clever squirrel jump” gitew

Lullaby55

Love literature! There is something about nursery rhymes that scream comfort

kaminau

Very interesting...selama ni tak tau pun!