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Nursery rhymes might sound harmless, but many of them are tied to centuries of political unrest, economic struggles, and bizarre historical theories. In this episode of Mental Floss, Carara breaks down the dark interpretations behind famous rhymes like Ring Around the Rosie, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Jack and Jill, Three Blind Mice, London Bridge Is Falling Down, Rockabye Baby, and more.
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The Dark History Behind Classic Nursery Rhymes | Mental Floss
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0:00
Let's start with the rhyme everyone thinks they already understand
0:03
Ring around the rosy. It has launched a thousand playground circles and just as many plague
0:08
theories. You probably know the popular explanation. The rosy is the rash. The posies
0:13
are herbs to hide the smell. We all fall down is the mass death. It is dramatic, grim, and
0:20
unforgettable. But folklorists say the plague theory is almost certainly wrong. The rhyme does
0:25
not appear in print until 1881, which is more than 200 years after the Great Plague of London
0:32
According to folklorist Philip Hiscock, the real origin is likely much less morbid. He points to
0:37
19th century play parties, ring games created by Protestant teenagers who were banned from dancing
0:43
They invented games that looked like dancing, but technically weren't. Younger children copied
0:48
them and the rhyme evolved. The plague explanation only appeared later because it sounded spooky and
0:53
satisfying. So the rhyme everyone swears is about mass death might just be teenagers finding a
0:59
loophole, and that's pretty human. In the canon of great horror writing, you expect Stephen King
1:04
Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, and the like. But just outside that circle, wearing a bonnet and
1:10
pretending to be harmless, is Mother Goose. Her verses look gentle, her illustrations look sweet
1:15
But many of her rhymes sit on top of centuries of political tension, religious unrest, and the
1:21
occasional beheading. Today, we're exploring 10 nursery rhymes with surprisingly dark theories
1:26
behind them. Some theories are plausible, some dramatic, and some feel like a folklorist version
1:31
of a conspiracy board. But all of them show how children's songs can carry the weight of history
1:36
Hi, I'm Cara, and you're watching Mental Floss. Let's get into it. Before we go any further, a quick note on the Opies. Iona and Peter Opie were a married team
1:50
British folklorists who spent over 40 years studying children's rhymes, playground games
1:56
and oral traditions. Their book, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, is considered
2:01
the most definitive scholarly source on the subject. When modern writers talk about nursery
2:05
rhyme origins, they almost always reference the Opie's research. Many historians and folklorists
2:11
believe that Baa Baa Black Sheep was a reference to the Great Custom, a wool tax introduced in 1275
2:17
under King Edward I According to the British Library wool was England most valuable export and the tax shaped the medieval economy The rhyme structure mirrors the way that the prophets were divided One for the king one for the church and one for the farmer The earliest printed version appears in Tommy Thumb Pretty Songbook from 1744
2:37
The Opies note that the rhyme originally had nothing to do with race. The color black simply referred to a sheep with dark fleece
2:44
which was less profitable because it could not be dyed. The racial interpretation emerged a few centuries later
2:49
By the late 20th century, some schools banned the rhyme or changed the wording
2:53
In 2011, several news outlets reported on the rise of ba-ba rainbow sheep
2:58
The Opie's argue that the original meaning was economic rather than racial
3:02
but the modern debate shows how children's rhymes evolve with cultural context
3:07
The earliest known printing of Goosey Goosey Gander appears in Gammer Gurtin's Garland
3:12
Try saying that three times fast. From 1784. The stanza about throwing an old man down the stairs appears in later versions
3:19
Many scholars connect it to religious persecution during the English Reformation. Catholic priests were forced into hiding, often in secret compartments known as priest holes
3:29
If discovered, they faced imprisonment or execution. The Opis point out that the violent stanza closely resembles a separate children's chant aimed at crane flies
3:39
Children recited it while pulling off the insect's legs. This suggests the lines might have merged over time, which is common in oral tradition
3:46
The opies also note that the rhymes wandering through chambers and halls
3:50
matches the layout of large Tudor houses where priests hid. Whether the rhyme references religious conflict or a repurposed insect chant
3:59
it is far darker than the title suggests. Jack and Jill first appears in Mother Goose's Melody from 1765
4:05
The theory linking it to Marie Antoinette is chronologically impossible, since the rhyme predates her execution by decades
4:12
One popular theory connects the rhyme to English tax history. According to the National Archives in the UK
4:19
King Charles I attempted to raise revenue by adjusting alcohol measures. Parliament resisted
4:25
In response, Charles reduced the volume of a jack, which automatically reduced the volume of a jill
4:31
since a jill was defined as twice the size. Prices rose and customers complained
4:36
The jill came tumbling after. The Opie's note that this explanation fits the rhyme structure
4:40
and the political climate of the 17th century. It also reflects a common theme in nursery rhymes, using simple stories to comment on
4:48
unpopular government policies. London Bridge is Falling Down appears in Tommy Thumb Pretty Songbook from 1744 One popular theory claims it refers to a Viking attack in 1014 led by Olaf II of Norway
5:01
This idea gained traction because of a 19th century translation by Samuel Lange
5:06
who rendered an Old Norse poem in a way that echoed the nursery rhyme. But modern scholars, including those cited by English Heritage and the British Museum
5:14
note that Lange's translation is inaccurate. Later translations show almost no resemblance to the rhyme
5:20
The Opis argue that the Viking theory is unsupported by evidence. Most historians agree that the rhyme refers to the bridge's repeated structural failures
5:29
London Bridge was rebuilt several times. It suffered fires, floods, and general decay
5:34
Some scholars also point to medieval foundation rituals, which sometimes use symbolic language about sacrifice to ensure a building's stability
5:43
These were metaphorical, not literal. But the imagery may have influenced the rhyme
5:47
Mary Mary Quite Contrary also appears in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Songbook from 1744
5:53
It has long been associated with Queen Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary
5:57
According to historic royal palaces, the reign of Mary I saw the execution of several hundred Protestants
6:04
The rhyme's imagery aligns with this history. In this interpretation, silver bells may refer to Catholic rosary bells or small torture devices
6:12
Cockle shells may reference badges of pilgrimage or instruments of punishment. and pretty maids all in a row may refer to executioners or victims
6:22
The Opie's caution that this theory is not definitively proven. However, the symbolism and timeline make it one of the more plausible, dark readings
6:30
The rhyme's cheerful tone contrasts starkly with Mary the First Reign, which may explain why the interpretation has endured
6:36
An early version of Three Blind Mice appears in Deuteromelia from 1609
6:41
though the full nursery rhyme we know today appears in the 19th century
6:45
The Opie's note that the association with Mary I is a later interpretation, but it does
6:50
fit the political climate of the time. The three blind mice are said to represent Protestant bishops Hugh Latimer, Nicholas
6:56
Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer. They opposed Mary's religious policies. All three were executed for heresy
7:03
Their blindness is interpreted metaphorically. Not physical blindness, but spiritual blindness in Catholic eyes
7:10
The Opie's emphasize that the rhyme itself is mild. The historic events behind the interpretation are not
7:16
Again the contrast between the gentle verse and the violent history is what keeps this theory alive Counting rhymes like Eenie Meenie Miney moe appear in cultures worldwide The Opis trace versions of eeny meeny to Celtic Welsh and Cornish counting systems
7:31
Some versions date back centuries. The structure, rhythmic nonsense syllables, is common in children's games
7:37
But in the United States, an explicitly racist version circulated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
7:43
It replaced tiger with a slur. That version appears in several early American collections
7:48
including those documented by Hallowell Phillips. That version has, for good reason, fallen out of favor
7:55
In 2004, two black passengers sued Southwest Airlines after a flight attendant used the rhyme during takeoff
8:01
The court sided with the airline. The case highlighted how deeply the older version
8:05
lingers in cultural memory. Nursery rhymes can carry dark, complicated, or unethical legacies
8:11
depending on how they change over time. Historian R.S. Duncan, a former governor of Wakefield Prison
8:17
suggested that here we go around the mulberry bush originated with female inmates who exercised
8:22
around a mulberry tree in the yard. The prison dates back more than 400 years. The OPs note that
8:28
the prison did in fact have a mulberry tree, and the circular motion of the game matches the
8:33
exercise routine. This theory is supported by local oral tradition and the Wakefield Historical
8:38
Society. While it can't be proven definitively, it does remain the most accepted explanation
8:43
The tearful melody takes on a different tone when you imagine Victorian prisoners walking in a circle
8:48
to keep warm. Rockabye Baby first appears in Mother Goose's melody from 1765. One interpretation
8:54
claims it references the allegedly smuggled heir of King James II. According to contemporary
9:00
pamphlets and later accounts, including Macaulay's History of England, rumors spread that an unrelated
9:06
infant had been brought into the birthing chamber to secure a Catholic successor. The cradle falling
9:11
may symbolize the political instability surrounding the child's legitimacy. The Opie's note that this
9:17
interpretation is speculative, but reflects the intense paranoia of the Glorious Revolution
9:22
These theories range from pretty plausible to pretty dramatic. But they reveal how deeply nursery
9:28
rhymes are woven into history. Centuries of politics, religion, fear, economics. So while
9:34
nursery rhymes may seem harmless, at least two might involve torture devices. One might include
9:40
a tax revolt, one might include a viking who never existed, and one just might be the result
9:45
of teenagers trying to get around a dancing ban and have some fun. Thanks for watching
9:49
Mental Floss, I'm Cara, and I'll see you next time
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