Sinister Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes have been passed down through the centuries and sung by children for hundreds of years. While nursery rhymes seem to be harmless children's songs, many people do not know that most nursery rhymes are sinister in origin.

A Classic example is "Ring Around the Rosy". A nursery rhyme sung as children hold hands and skip around in a circle.

"Ring around the rosy

a pocket full of posies

Ashes, ashes

We all fall down".

This rhyme has its origins in English history during the time of the black plague. The black plague swept across Europe in 1665 which wiped out half of the population. The plague was spread by rat bites, rats which originally came from Asia on board cargo ships. Symptoms of the plague started with a fever then a bright red rash made its appearance in the shape of a ring. Of course back then they didn't have the medications we have now to treat the plague and so they carried pouches, or posies as mentioned in the rhyme, filled with sweet smelling herbs as it was thought the plague was started by foul smells. Unfortunately everyone smelled bad back then due to poor bathing habits, they bathed maybe once a year, so if that had been true the whole human race would have been wiped out long ago. Dead bodies were burned in the hopes of preventing further spread of the plague and so the term "Ashes, Ashes" refers to the ashes of the dead.

Another nursery rhyme that dates back to the Middle Ages is "Mary Mary Quite Contrary" actually alludes to King Henry the VIII's daughter, Mary Tudor or Bloody Mary as she was popularly known back then.

"Mary, Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow

With silver bells and cockle shells

And pretty maids all in a row".

Mary's garden in the rhyme in actual fact refers to graveyards which were being filled daily with dead Protestant martyrs due to the fact that Marry was a staunch Catholic. Silver bells and cockle shells were in fact instruments of torture used on these poor souls in the hopes of persuading them to change their religion. The pretty maids all in a row are in reference to the guillotine otherwise known as "Maidens".

Another nursery rhyme which is sinister in nature is "Jack and Jill", another harmless sounding children's nursery rhyme. In fact "Jack and Jill's roots go back to France in 1795.

"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".

So who are Jack and Jill? Jack is actually King Louis XVIII of France and Jill is his wife Marie Antoinette. During the French Revolution or the "reign of terror" as it is known, in 1793, poor King Louis was beheaded; in other words he lost his crown. His Queen, Marie Antoinette followed shortly after. The words of this little rhyme were eventually changed to what it is today in order to give it a happier ending so as not to scare children.

There are many more nursery rhymes which have strange sources and many of the nursery rhymes were in a scary book I had as a child, in fact just looking through the book with its scary pictures made me think of sinister things. I did learn a few rhymes at school as part of my childhood education but not in the classroom, these were learned on the playground. Many are crude, some are racist and some are just plain dirty which is probably why they haven't been written in books and passed down for prosperity. There is one that sticks in my mind though, one which I used to like to recite frequently. What can I say I was a weird kid. I don't know its origins or if it has any hidden meanings though, you be the judge.

"Birdy birdy in the sky

Dropped a white wash in my eye

I'm a big boy, I don't cry

Gee I'm glad that cows don't fly".