Nursery Rhymes
History, Examples, & Explanations
Secret History of the Nursery Rhyme
 Origins of nursery rhymes are sometimes
associated with actual events in history.
 Some secret meanings of nursery rhymes
have been lost with time.
 Rhymes were used by the locals to gossip
about politics and royals.
 Rhymes were used innocently to spread
rebellious messages.
The Rhyme Was an Element of Free
Speech
 A rhyme was comprised of a rhyming
couplet or short verse.
 It is often short and easy to remember.
 Commoners used rhymes to comment on
events.
 Criticism would often have been punishable
by death.
The Rhyme that led to Revolution
 Wording of a rhyme could be associated
with historical events.
 The first English rhyme dates back to the
fourteenth century.
 This rhyme was passed from one person to
another and was easily remembered.
The Chapbooks
 Nursery rhymes began printing in England
in 1570.
 Books and cheap pamphlets (or Chapbooks)
were printed.
 A chapbook is a pamphlet containing such
things as poems, stories, or religious tracts.
 Chapbooks contained pictures and were
entertaining to those who were learning to
read.
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.
Mary Mary Quite Contrary
o Mary Queen of Scots
• Protestants could not speak against the
Queen without reprimand so they spoke in
code.
o The garden in the rhyme is filled with the
graves of protestant opponents of the
Queen.
o Instruments of torture such as thumbscrews
and iron masks were referred to as silver
bells and cockle shells.
o Instruments like the guillotine were known
as “maids” to behead enemies.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!
One for the master, one for the dame,
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
o The wool industry was important to Britain's
economy from the Middle Ages until the
nineteenth century.
o Referring to King Edward I and the export tax
imposed in Britain in 1275.
• English Customs Statute authorized the king to
collect tax on all exports of wool in every port in
the country.
o Another reference could be to King Edward II.
• He encouraged weavers and cloth dyers to
improve the quality of English products.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are?
Up above the world so high , like a diamond in the sky
When the blazing sun is gone, when he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light, twinkle, twinkle all the night.
Then the traveler in the dark, thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go, if you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep, and often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye, 'till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark lights the traveler in the dark,
Though I know not what you are - twinkle, twinkle little star.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
o Simile 'like a diamond in the sky'
• Teaches children how words can be used to
paint a picture in the imagination.
• The words create a comparison between the
twinkling of the star to a sparkling diamond.
• Provides a perfect illustration of clever
imagery.
Old King Cole
Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe in the middle of the night
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler had a fine fiddle, and a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh there's none so rare as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.
Old King Cole
o There is confusion regarding the origin of
Old King Cole because there were three
possible Kings of Britain, all had the name
Coel (translates to Cole).
• Coel Godhebog (Cole the Magnificent - b.220 Decurion
of Rome) was the Lord of Colchester (the word
Colchester means "Cole's Castle").
• Coel Hen (Coel the Old c.350 - c.420 ) called Coel the
Old due to his longevity, was the Lord of Colchester
and a Decurion.
• St. Ceneu ap Coel (Born c382 ) was the son of Coel
Hen. Ceneu appears to have been made a Saint
because he upheld the old Christian ways against
pagan invaders.
Humpty Dumpty
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
o Humpty Dumpty was believed to be a large cannon.
•
It was used during the English Civil War in the Siege of
Colchester.
o In 1648 the town of Colchester was protected by a city
wall.
•
A huge cannon, called Humpty Dumpty, was placed on the wall
next to St Mary's Church.
o A shot from a Parliamentary cannon damaged the wall
beneath Humpty Dumpty and caused the cannon to
tumble to the ground.
•
•
The Royalists 'all the King's men' attempted to raise Humpty
Dumpty on to another part of the wall.
Because the cannon, or Humpty Dumpty, was so heavy 'All the
King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty
together again!'
A Wise Old Owl
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
A Wise Old Owl
o Told to children in an attempt to teach the
child the virtue of being quiet.
o The lyrics were based on an owl's behavior
of watching and waiting when hunting its
prey.
o The owl is associated with wisdom in Greek
mythology being linked with Athena, the
Goddess of Wisdom.
o A wise old owl
• "Children should be seen and not heard!"
Mary had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day, which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play, to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about till Mary did appear.
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?" the eager children cry;
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know" the teacher did reply.
Mary had a Little Lamb
o Introduces imagery of similes.
• White as snow.
o No historical connection can be traced.
• It can be confirmed that the song is American
as the words were written by Sarah Hale, of
Boston, in 1830.
o The words were the first ever recorded by
Thomas Edison, on tin foil, on his
phonograph.
Hickory, Dickory Dock
Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down
Hickory dickory dock
Hickory, Dickory Dock
o Uses alliteration where children mimic the
sound of a clock chiming.
o Intended to introduce children to the
fundamentals of telling time.
o The Origins of Hickory
• Hickory is derived from the North American
Indian word 'pawcohiccora' which is an oily
milk-like liquor that is pressed from pounded
hickory nuts.
o The Origins of Dock
• Dock is a species of plant which has the
Latin name of Rumex crispus.
Three Blind Mice
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?
Three Blind Mice
o The 'farmer's wife' refers to the daughter of King
Henry VIII, Queen Mary I.
• Mary was a devoted Catholic and her violent
persecution of Protestants led to the nickname of
'Bloody Mary'.
• The 'farmer's wife' in Three Blind Mice refers to the
massive estates which she and her husband
possessed.
o The 'three blind mice' were three noblemen who
adhered to the Protestant faith and were
convicted of plotting against the Queen.
• She did not have them dismembered and blinded as
referred to in Three Blind Mice but she did have them
burnt at the stake!
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away
Little Miss Muffet
o Little Miss Muffet was a girl whose name
was Patience Muffet.
o Her stepfather, Dr. Muffet was an
entomologist who wrote the first scientific
book of British Insects.
• Entomologist is a zoologist who focused on
insects.
o While eating her breakfast of curds and
whey Patience Muffet was frightened by one
of his spiders and ran away.
In Review…
Works Cited
Alchin, L.K. Nursery Rhymes Lyrics and
Origins. Rhymes.org.uk. 16 November 2007.
Web. 26 April 2011.