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This section is in advanced English and is only intended to be a guide, not to
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Nursery Rhymes as History
by Margaret Watson
I can remember, as I’m sure many of you can, my mother singing me nursery rhymes, like ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’ and playing ‘Horsey Horsey’ with my father who would bounce me up and down in time to the rhythm. A great favourite when I was very small was ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ with its impossible images, such as a cow jumping over the moon and a cat playing a fiddle.
Many English rhymes have some historical data in them, and so have some sense behind them, even if those who sing them have no idea of the origins.
For example,
‘Ring a Ring a Roses’ is a circle game often played by groups of small children. It is great fun, especially when everyone has to fall down. It is based however upon the symptoms of the plague, the Black Death, which in the past travelled across England in regular attacks for many years . The ‘ring of roses’ refers to the red rashes. The posies were carried in order to ward off the disease and the smells.’ Atishoo!’ – refers to the sneezing which helped to spread the disease and the falling down describes how people would fall down dead.
‘London Bridge is falling down’ is another popular children's party game – almost a dance. The reference is to the frequency with which London Bridge has been replaced – the last time it was sold to America and a new one built, but that happened long after the song was written.
To those who perhaps don’t know, ‘Pop goes the Weasel’ is one of the hardest to interpret. It dates from the 17th century and is based upon Cockney slang. ‘Pop’ means to pop something into the pawn shop. So why weasel? Well weasel is short for ‘weasel and stoat’ – rhyming slang for coat. So the rhyme describes someone taking their coat to the pawn broker in order to get some money. The City Rd is just east of the city and the Eagle is a public house or tavern there. In other words the money obtained from the pawn broker was spent on drink.
Sometimes people get the meanings wrong. I was taught that ‘Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary’ referred to Queen Mary Tudor and her garden, but have recently heard that the gardens referred to the increasing size of graveyards at the time and the ‘cockle shells’ and ‘silver bells’ were polite names for the instruments of torture that were used during her reign. I thought the pretty maids were her ladies , but apparently refers to a rather instrument of execution. I suppose people could sing the song if they disagreed with what was going on, but no one would know what they would be referring to.
What songs did you sing when you were very little? Are they different to the ones you sing to your children now? Did your nursery rhymes have hidden meanings as English ones do? Could you translate them into English or don’t they make sense if you do? I would certainly find it hard to make sense in French or Urdu of ’Pop goes the weasel’.
Here are a few of the most popular children's nursery rhymes:-
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down!
Hickory Dickory Dock
Horsey Horsey
Horsey horsey don't you stop
Just let your feet go clippetty clop
The tail goes swish and the wheels go round
Giddy up, we're homeward bound.
Hey Diddle Diddle
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!
Ring A Ring O' Roses
A ring, a ring o' roses,
A pocket full of posies;
(Children hold hands and dance around in a circle)
Tishoo, tishoo,
All stand still.
(Children hold still)
The King has sent his daughter,
To fetch a pail of water;
(Children hold hands and dance around in a circle)
Tishoo, tishoo,
All fall down.
London Bridge Is Falling Down
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.
Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair Lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair Lady.
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair Lady.
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair Lady.
Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair Lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair Lady.
Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair Lady.
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair Lady
Pop Goes The Weasel
Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Mary Mary Quite Contrary
Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.