DECEPTIVELY INNOCENT SONGS.

An Introduction.

Rhymes are simple melodious songs and nursery rhymes are what children
listen to and learn from their mothers, at a very tender age.
Many of the words and lyrics found in the popular nursery rhymes have been
used as a parody of the royal events and political happenings of that time.
A direct comment or reference to those events would end up in arousing the
wrath of the authorities and getting beheaded in public!
So the names and identities have been hidden and those bitter truths have been
saved and spread in the form of nursery rhymes-appearing really harmless and
sounding sweetly innocent!

Ring a Ring o Roses.

Ring-a-Ring oRosies
A Pocket full of Posies
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall Down!
This innocent looking rhyme first appeared in 1881, in the book Mother Goose.
In reality it goes back in time to the 1660s, when The Great Plague ravaged
humanity.
Bubonic plague or Black Death prevailed in London in 1665. It had claimed the
lives of 70,000 people out of the 4,60,000 residents of London!
Doctors attending on the plague affected people had to wear protective outfits
and a huge bird like mask, to protect themselves from being infected by the
disease!
Nothing could stop the spread of this deadly disease. Only The Great Fire of
London in 1666 could check the spread of Plague, by killing all the rats.
Ring a Ring o roses refers to the rosy colored rash, appearing on the affected
person, as an early symptom of Plague!
A pocket full of posies refers to the medicines and herbs people used to carry
in their pockets-hoping to keep off the plague!

Achoo! Achoo! We all fall down refers to the last sneezes of the affected
person before he falls down, quite dead!
So the sad story of The Great Plague lies concealed in the most popular rhymewhich children love most. They love to play in groups, holding hands and
running in circles!

Mary Mary.

Mary Mary quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.
The Mary referred to in this rhyme is Mary Tudor, popularly known as Bloody
Mary. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII. She was a staunch Catholic
who could not stand the sight of Protestants.
The Garden in the rhyme refers to the rows of graveyards of the Protestant
martyrs of that time! This garden graveyard was ever increasing it is size,
with the graves of the people who dared to continue to adhere to Protestant
faith.
The Silver Bells and Cockleshells were instruments used to torture the martyrs
before they were put to death.

The Silver Bell was a thumb screw, by tightening which the thumb of a person
could be crushed between two hard surfaces. The Cockleshells are believed to
be instruments of torture, which were attached to the genital of the person!
Guillotines were the instruments invented exclusively for mass beheading.
They were nicknamed as Maidens and in this rhyme the nick name is further
shortened to Maids.
The pretty maids were far from pretty, as they were the instruments of mass
murder.
Yet who could guess that the gruesome story of Bloody Mary lies concealed in
song which talks about garden, silver bells and pretty maids!

Jack And Jill.

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.
Up got Jack, and home did trot
As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper
One popular interpretation is that the rhyme represents two men Jack and Gill,
as there is no historic evidence or reference to any girl!

When Western Europe split into two sectors namely The Holy Roman Empire
and France, Cardinal Wolsey (Jack) and Bishop Tarbes (Gill) attempted for a
negotiation and peace.
But they failed miserably in their mission. A full scale war erupted. This rhyme
is thought to be a parody of their uphill task for peace and their subsequent
failure.
Another story goes thus: Jack and Jill represent the King Louis XVI and his
Queen Marie Antoinette. Jack lost his crown denotes that the King was
beheaded. Jill came tumbling after denoted that the Queen too shared the same
fate and followed the King.
The actual beheading took place in The Reign of Terror in 1793. The first
publication of this rhyme was in 1795, fitting well with the historical dates and
fates

Rain Rain Go Away.

Rain rain go away,

Come again another day.
Little Johnny wants to play;
Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again!
The origin of this rhyme goes back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I. During her

reign (1533-1603) constant rivalry prevailed between the two countries

England and Spain.
Spanish Armada was launched in 1588, to invade England! It consisted of more
than 130 ships and was led by Duke Medina Sedonia.
The English fleet was much smaller and had merely 34 small Navy vessels and
163 armed merchant ships. It was led by Admiral Lord Howard.
Despite the odds, the smaller and swifter English fleet defeated the larger and
stronger Spanish fleet!
This miracle was made possible by the stormy weather prevailing at that time,
which scattered the larger and slower Armada fleet. Only 65 Spanish ships and
10,000 men returned alive to Spain!
Hence the popular rhyme commanding the rain to go to Spain, and never show
its face again!
Sing a Song.

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasnt that a dainty dish to set before the king?

The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlor eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!
It appears that during the Medieval Times practical jokes were much appreciated! The
cook in the service of a wealthy knight would sometimes put small live birds, under the
crust of the pie, he served to the guests!
When the pie was opened and the live birds emerged, the gathering had a hilarious laugh.
The cook had another pie ready to be served to the guests, as soon as the birds were
released!
The other interesting reference is to the King in his counting house counting money and
the Queen in her parlor eating bread and honey.
It reflects the common mans concept of the royalty who could indulge in money and
honey, which were beyond his wildest dreams!

Sing a Song.

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasnt that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlor eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,

When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

It appears that during the Medieval Times practical jokes were much
appreciated! The cook in the service of a wealthy knight would sometimes put
small live birds, under the crust of the pie, he served to the guests!
When the pie was opened and the live birds emerged, the gathering had a
hilarious laugh. The cook had another pie ready to be served to the guests, as
soon as the birds were released!
The other interesting reference is to the King in his counting house counting
money and the Queen in her parlor eating bread and honey.
It reflects the common mans concept of the royalty who could indulge in
money and honey, which were beyond his wildest dreams!

London Bridge.

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.
Set a man to watch all night,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Set a man to watch all night,
My fair Lady.
Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,

Suppose the man should fall asleep?

My fair Lady.
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
Smoke all night, smoke all night,
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
My fair Lady.
London Bridge is one of the famous landmarks of London. The history
associated with this rhyme goes back in time to the First Century, when
Romans occupied London. The bridge was then built with wood and clay.
The Viking invaders destroyed the bridge in the 1000s. Many fires broke out on
the bridge and many disasters struck the bridge. Every time the bridge was
damaged, it was rebuilt and fortified with the different materials available at
that time,as listed in the rhyme itself!
A strong bridge complete with a draw bridge was constructed in 1176. The
great Fire of London in 1666, weakened the arches and foundation of the
bridge.
In 1820, a new bridge was built to the North of the old bridge. It was opened in
1831 and the old bridge was demolished!
The suggestions for improvements stated in this rhyme run thus:
The bridge built with clay and wood should be replaced by one built with
bricks and mortar.
The bricks and mortar bridge should be replaced by one built with iron and
steel.
This should be replaced by a bridge made of silver and gold! To guard against
theft, a night watchman must be put on duty with enough tobacco and a
smoking pipe, to keep him awake all night

Ding Dong Bell.

Ding dong bell

Pussys in the well
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Flynn
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout
What a naughty boy was that
Try to drown poor Pussycat,
Who neer did any harm
But killed all the mice
In the Farmers barn!
This is a rhyme with a message of morality. The origin dates back to the 16th
Century. William Shakespeare had used the phrase Ding Dong Bell in several
plays like The Tempest (Act 1, scene 2) and The Merchant of Venice (Act 3,
Scene 2).
The original lyrics of Ding Dong Bell ended with the cat being allowed to
drown! Later the rhyme was modified and Little Tommy Stout was made to
pull her out of the well and save her life!
Children should be taught not to harm any form of life, which has not harmed
them. They should be discouraged from harming the animals and birds living
around us.
The modified form does indeed teach Morality, to children at a very tender age!

For Want Of a Nail.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
This rhyme contains a series of events following one another in a logically
progressive manner! The causes and effects are listed in an amazingly
impressive manner to the children.
The child is taught that a seemingly unimportant event or a thoughtless action
may end up in creating very serious problems later in life!
The references to the horses, the riders and kingdom etc indicate the English
origin of the rhyme. Most of the English Kings did not leave anything to
chance.
King Edward III commanded obligatory practice of archery on all holidays and
Sundays. This was to make sure that his archers remained in good shape!
Benjamin Franklin included a version of this rhyme in his Poor Richards
Almanack.

During the World War II, this verse was framed and hung on the wall of the
Anglo American Supply Head Quarters in London, England.

Goosey Goosey.

Goosey Goosey Gander where shall I wander,

Upstairs, downstairs and in my ladys chamber
There I met an old man who wouldnt say his prayers,
I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.
This rhyme has historical allusions to the struggle between The Catholics and
The Protestants in the Sixteenth Century.
The ladys chamber was a room owned by a lady of high rank at that time. It
is also often referred to as a Solar.
Priest Holes were small secret rooms which were part of many great houses in
England in those days. As the name suggests the priests had to hide there to
save themselves from being persecuted by the zealous Protestants-who were
totally opposed to the Catholic religion.
If a priest got caught, he as well as the family harboring him were mercilessly
executed by the Protestants.

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!
This is a fantasy rhyme aiming at delighting the children with wild and
impossible concepts. That is what is being done by most of the cartoon
channels now- especially The Walt Disney Cartoons!
The terms Hey diddle diddle can be found in many of Shakespeares works.
It corresponds in its mood and in its vein to the hey nonny no found in many
Traditional English Folk ballads.
With their imagination running riot, the children burst out laughing in glee, as
they picture the bulky cow jumping over the moon in the sky and the dish
running away holding the hands of the spoon!

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 was a young girl named Patience Muffet. Dr. Muffet (15531604) was her step father and a famous etymologist who wrote the first
scientific catalog on the insects found in Britain.
One day while Miss. Muffet was eating her breakfast, one of the spiders from
her stepfathers collection came running to her. The frightened Miss. Muffet ran
away!
There is much relief and joy as this is just a simple rhyme about a frightened
child-with no sinister undertones and scary allusions!

Old Mother.

Old Mother Hubbard

Went to the cupboard
To get her poor doggie a bone,
When she got there
The cupboard was bare
So the poor little doggie had none.
The old mother Hubbard alludes to the famous Cardinal Wolsey. He was the
most important Statesman and Churchman of The Tudor history period of the
16th Century England.
Cardinal Wolsey was a faithful servant of king Henry VIII. The King wanted to
divorce Queen Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, with whom he
was madly in love!
When the Cardinal Wolsey failed to facilitate the divorce the king was terribly
displeased with him.
The doggie in the rhyme refers to the King Henry VIII and the bone refers
to the divorce. The old mother Hubbard was the Cardinal and the cupboard
alludes to the Catholic Church.
Subsequently divorce was arranged by Thomas Cramner, leading to the break
with Rome, the formation of the English Protestant Church and the death of

Cardinal Wolsey.

Little Tommy.

Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper,

What shall we give him? Brown bread and butter.
How shall he cut it without a knife?
How shall he marry without a wife?
Tommy Tucker was the colloquial term used to denote an orphan. With no
one to care for them or feed them the orphans were forced to begging for food
or singing for food.
Tommy Tucker is so poor that he does not have even a knife, to cut the bread,
which any generous person might give him!
Tommy Tuckers inability to marry and have a wife is due to his dire poverty
and his low standing within the community and society! Such was the pathetic
condition of orphans in those days and may be to some extent even now!
This rhyme was first published in the year 1829.

Pussy Cat.

Pussycat pussycat, where have you been?

Ive been up to London to visit the Queen.
Pussycat pussycat, what did you dare?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair
MEOWW!
The origin of this rhyme goes back to the 16th Century Tudor England. One of
the ladies waiting on Queen Elizabeth I had an old cat. It had the freedom to
roam through the Windsor Castle.
On one occasion the cat ran beneath the throne of the Queen, brushing her foot
with its tail.The Queen was startled but did not get angry, as she had a sense of
humor!
The good Queen Bess decreed that the cat could wander about freely in her
throne room, as long as he kept it free of mice!

Elephant Rhyme.

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
I see, quoth he, the Elephant

Is very like a snake!

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain, quoth he;
Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: Een the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
I see, quoth he, the Elephant
Is very like a rope!
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
The Moral of the Elephant Rhyme:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!!
This rhyme is also known by the name The Blind Men and The Elephant. This
was written by the American Poet John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887).

The moral of the rhyme is that people should not proclaim their views on
subjects they know very little about or on things which they have never seen!
The six blind men touch the different pats of the elephant and form their
impressions about it. Each one is staunch in his belief and proclaims that only
he is right!
The first man says that the elephant is like a wall; the second man says that it is
as sharp as a spear; the third man says that it is like a snake; the fourth man
says that it is like a tree; the fifth man says that it is like a fan and the sixth man
says that it is like a rope!
Each of them was partly correct and yet all of them were totally wrong!
It is better and safer to remain silent on topics we know nothing about and
listen to people who have something to say and learn from them! An Apple

a Day.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Apple in the morning Doctors warning
Roast apple at night starves the doctor outright
Eat an apple going to bed knock the doctor on the head
Three each day, seven days a week ruddy apple, ruddy cheek

This rhyme encourages the young children to eat healthy and not indulge in
junk food, the way the modern kids do!
Children usually love to eat sweet, soft and sticky food and thereby keep busy
all the doctors and the dentists of the world. The children dislike to eat healthy
vegetables and fruits.
In order to make children understand and remember, we have to catch them
young and teach them young! This rhyme encourages them to eat raw fruits
which are good for their body as well as their teeth.
The author and date of publication of this rhyme are not known!

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 cant we all be like that wise old bird?
The origin and history of this rhyme is not known. It teaches young children the
good qualities of remaining silent and listening. Truly the more we see, the less
we speak! The less we speak, the more we listen to and learn!

The owl watches and waits for its prey, while hunting. In all the stories,
folklore and fairy tales, owls are depicted as very wise and old! All the other
animals seek their advice, in matters of importance.
Legends about the owls are abundant in Greek, Celtic and Native American
mythology. In Greek mythology, owl is closely associated with Athena-The
Goddess of Wisdom. Athens is named after Athena and its emblem is The Owl.
As a rule children should be seen and not heard! The reason-they are angelic
when seen and demonic when heard!

Hot Cross Buns.

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!

One a penny two a penny Hot cross buns
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons
One a penny two a penny Hot cross buns
Hot Cross Buns are small, spicy fruitcakes. They are decorated with a white
cross and served with a butter spread. They are usually sold at the time of
Easter to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus after he was crucified.
In the 19th Century, street vendors and sellers used sell various products
directly to the consumers. Hot Cross Buns were hawked and sold at the price of
one a penny or two a penny.

Those who indulged in this butter coated sweet in excess, would eventually end
up with bulging midriffs, like Mr. Bumble of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist!

Twinkle Twinkle.

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 traveller 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.
This beautiful rhyme was written jointly by two sisters Ann Taylor and Jane
Taylor. It was first published in 1806.
This is one of the most popular nursery rhymes in the world. With its soft music
it really enchants the listeners!
The word Twinkle automatically suggests the Winking of the stars. The
star is just a speck so high in the sky. So it is a little star !
Like a diamond in the sky is a beautiful simile! It teaches the children how to

compare two objects which look alike. Indeed the twinkling star does look like
a diamond placed on a deep blue velvet cloth! Wee Willie Winkie.

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,

Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,
Tapping at the window and crying through the lock,
Are all the children in their beds, its past eight oclock?
Wee Willie Winkie is the children version of a town crier!
Before the various powerful media like newspapers, Television and Internet
came into existence, Town Criers were solely responsible for passing on
information and spreading the latest news to the public.
Wee Willie Winkie is the childrens town crier. He wants to make sure that all
the children are in their beds since it was past 8 O clock!
This teaches the children the healthy habit of going to bed early so that the next
day they can get up early and be fresh to meet the tasks lying ahead!
Author of this rhyme is William Miller ( 1810 -1872) and this was published in
1841.