Sinister Nursery Rhymes

As children, we all heard nursery rhymes. "Jack and Jill", "Mary Mary Quite Contrary", and "Humpty Dumpty" were all a part of our childhoods. 

However, few people actually know the meaning behind some of these sweet sounding little rhymes. A whole bunch of them are kinda creepy...

1. Ding Dong Bell

Ding dong bell

Pussy's 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 ne'er did any harm

But killed all the mice

In the Farmer's barn!

This little ditty was used to teach small children a moral lesson. Originally, the rhyme left the poor cat to drown but it was later changed to the cat being saved. This rhyme was to teach children that it was cruel to harm animals who never hurt them. 

2. Goosey Goosey Gander

Goosey gooset gander where shall I wonder,

Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber

Then I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers

I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.

It's believed that this nursery rhyme dates back to 16th century England and refers to the persecution of Catholics by the Protestants. Catholic priests were often forced into hiding to avoid being killed for their faith. If caught hiding Catholics, whole families were at risk of being executed along with them. The rhyme implies that if you don't say your prayers properly, something unpleasant would happen. Back then, Catholic prayers were in Latin.

3. 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!

It's thought that "Humpty Dumpty" was a cannon. It was used during the English Civil War from 1642 to 1649. The town of Colchester was protected by this huge wall, adjacent to which was Saint Mary's Church. The town was attacked by the Parlimentarians, and in response to this, the Royalists mounted a cannon on the roof of Saint Mary's Church. But, unfortunately for the Royalists, the wall to their fort was blown up and the cannon was destroyed. This forced them to surrender to the Parlimentarians.

4. 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

This rhyme's origins can be found in France during the French Revolution. It is believed that Jack and Jill are King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. It refers to the fact that the king was killed first and that the queen was executed shortly after. Since it's a pretty grim story behind the rhyme, they gave it a happy ending so they wouldn't freak the kiddies out.

5. 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.

This one is my favourite and it's probably the most sinister one that I've read about. It's about "Bloody Mary", the daughter of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary was a hard core Catholic and executed Protestants in droves. Her "gardens" were the graveyards that she buried people in. The "silver bells and cockle shells" are believed to be instruments of torture.    

Kinda puts things in a different light when you hear about the meaning behind some of these things, right? Not quite as sweet and innocent as we'd first thought. If you want to check out the meanings for some other nursery rhymes, you can check them out here.