Five Men in a Tub is my version of the rhyme
Political and social poetry are not new genres. Poets of every generation marked historical moments with poems critical of society. Nursery rhymes often conveyed hidden messages that spoke to commoners. Unaware of their meaning, today’s adults sing the rhymes to newborns and chant them to toddlers. Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, for instance, dates back to the mid-1700s when female prisoners exercised around a mulberry tree in the prison yard.
Humpty Dumpty records the 1797 civil war in England when King Charles and the Royalists fought off the Roundheads who wanted parliament to govern the people. When the town of Colchester was under siege, a man named Jack Thompson was supposedly on top of the tower of St Mary-at-the-Walls, manning a cannon nicknamed “Humpty Dumpty.” The cannon did damage to the advancing Parliamentarian troops until it fell to the ground when the Roundheads blew off the top of the church tower. Though dozens of men tried to put it together again, it was too heavy and they were unable to do it.
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.
Theories around Baa, Baa, Black Sheep also abound. Historians think it may have started as a protest against the wool tax imposed in 1275, continuing for 200 years. It was decreed that the sale from a bag of wool was to be split three ways, one for the king, one for the church, and one for the farmer. “None for the little boy who lives down the lane” added later, implying that the tax increased to where sheep farmers had nothing left after paying the tax.
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full.
This Old Man is a favorite rhyme to teach counting and the English language-Knick-Knack, paddy whack isn’t easy for a toddler to say. Its origin is traced back to Wales in 1870. As it spread to other countries, the rhyme became more than a counting game. Irish lore says it’s related to an old pervert who strolled through town offering to play “paddy whack” with young children. It may have been used to warn kids to stay away from men like that.
This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb
Knick-knack paddy whack
Give the dog the bone
This old man came rolling home.
Though there are many theories about the origins of nursery rhymes, most explanations are pure speculation. It’s more likely they were intended as riddles posed to children for their amusement. Given current evidence, it is far more likely that Humpty Dumpty was not intended to be a history story, but rather a riddle posed to children for their amusement. The answer to the riddle is “an egg”, which is why Humpty Dumpty is nearly always depicted as such.
There are others: Pop Goes the Weasel was written about England’s poverty. The original version is;
Up and down the City Road
In and out the Eagle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop! goes the weasel.
The Eagle was a Tavern in North London where a lot of drinking took place. The weasel stands for a suit of clothing in Cockney slang. Pop refers to the poor having to pawn their suits to pay for drinks. Though it may have a questionable message, it was a popular tune in Queen Victoria’s day where it was played at fancy balls organized by the Court.
Rub-a-Dub-Dub, three men in a tub, a 1798 rhyme, tells more than you might imagine. It references “maids in a tub” viewed in peep shows at fairgrounds. Men, like the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker paid hawkers to see women bathing naked in tubs.
Hey! rub-a-dub, ho! rub-a-dub, three maids in a tub,
And who do you think were there?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,
And all of them gone to the fair.
Many rhymes were banned or altered over the years.
According to Reader’s Digest Ten Little Monkeys had racist beginnings. It was originally derived from a nursery rhyme called Ten Little N**gers, which counted down by illuminating ten horrible ways for Black boys to die. Used in minstrel shows in the South. it taught white children to hate. Just as bad, was a Ten Little Indians cartoon playing on Saturday morning.
In 2009 the Birmingham council didn’t like unhappy endings for toddlers. They changed the ending of Humpty Dumpty from “couldn’t put Humpty together again” to “made Humpty happy again.”
Though Rain! Rain! has origins dating back to England in the 1700s, it was made overt give a conserve water message. The new lyrics are “Rain, rain, come again! We need more rain every day!”
New York Toddlers were banned from making a “star” sign while singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for fears that the perceived rudeness of the gesture might offend the deaf. The star gesture is seemingly similar to the sign used for female genitalia.
What do you think of Goosey, Goosey Gander? Should it be banned or used as a lesson of what not to do? It is rather violent.
Goosey, goosey gander,
Where shall I wander?
Upstairs, downstairs,
In my lady’s chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn’t say his prayers,
I took him by his left leg.
And threw him down the stairs.
I’ll stick with Bobby Charles’s 1950 song, See You Later, Alligator since I will be traveling through the canyons and hills in Oregon with my grandson next week. You will not hear from me again until the 10th of June. Have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday. Welcome to the start of summer.
See you later, alligator,
After a while, crocodile,
Blow a kiss, jellyfish.
Give a hug, ladybug,
See you soon, big baboon,
Out the door, dinosaur,
Take (good) care, polar bear,
Wave goodbye, butterfly.
What is your favorite nursery rhyme? Find its meaning and share it at www.eichingerfineart.com/blog
references:
McGuinnes, D. (2021) 17 Dark & Creepy Meanings Behind our favorite Rhymes. cafe mom. retrieved from https://cafemom.com/parenting/meanings-nursery-rhymes-lullabies/here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush
Nursery Rhyme Central website. The Fascinating Meaning Behind Nursery Rhymes. retrieved from https://nurseryrhymecentral.com/the-fascinating-secret-meanings-behind-nursery-rhymes/
Upton, E. (2013) The Origin of Humpty Dumpty, Today I found Out; Feed Your Brain. retrieved from https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/the-origin-of-humpty-dumpty/
Gilchrist, A. ( 2017) History of this Old Man. Nursery Rhymes for Babies. retrieved from http://nurseryrhymesforbabies.com/history-of-this-old-man-song-2/
Baldassarro,R. (2013) Banned Books Aswareness:” Banned Nursery rhymes. The Morning Bulletin, Telegraph. retrieved from https://bbark.deepforestproductions.com/column/2013/06/30/banned-books-awareness-banned-nursery-rhymes/#:~:text=Toddlers%20have%20been%20banned%20from,to%20use%20a%20different%20gesture
Ten Little Monkeys Reader’s Digest. retrieved from https://www.rd.com/list/childrens-nursery-rhymes-that-are-actually-racist/
