The Student Room Group

Something very strange about nursery rhymes...

I know you must be thinking "WTF", but I was thinking about this the other day and it really intrigued me.
Here's the deal: post a nursery rhyme, any that you may know or remember, and see if you can spot a very odd pattern.

I'll start:
Oranges and Lemons

Oranges and lemons
Say the bells of St Clements
You owe me five farthings
Say the bells of St Martins
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey
When I grow rich
Say the bells of Shoreditch
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney
I'm sure I don't know
Says the great bell at Bow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head

Chop chop chop chop the last man's dead!

Scroll to see replies

Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse fell down
Hickory Dickory Dock...

Is it to do with them all ending in death or being hurt?? :rolleyes:

Because I noticed that when I was a kid...!! :biggrin:
Reply 2
SilverWings
Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse fell down
Hickory Dickory Dock...

Is it to do with them all ending in death or being hurt?? :rolleyes:

Because I noticed that when I was a kid...!! :biggrin:
Yeah, you've pretty much nailed it on the head! Apparently all of these rhymes are violent in some way. :eek:
What about mary had a little lamb? or mary mary quite contrary?
Reply 4
gonnabavet
What about mary had a little lamb? or mary mary quite contrary?
Lol! I forgot about those two, but they may well be exceptions. :redface:
baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
one for the master, one for the dame,
one for the little boy who lives down the lane...


whats so violent about a sheep and presents of wool?
I think they are.... what else?
baa baa black sheep?
oh no, he lives down the well doesnt he?
thats pretty sad...
lol i musta corrupted that one to well then ... :-(
The one about the cat, and the spoon???

I cant remember any!!!!!
Reply 9
kidney thief
baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
one for the master, one for the dame,
one for the little boy who lives down the lane...


whats so violent about a sheep and presents of wool?
Hmmm, I'm beginning to wonder if I only remembered the violent rhymes (i.e. Jack and Jill, Ring Around the Roses).
Monteferro
Hmmm, I'm beginning to wonder if I only remembered the violent rhymes (i.e. Jack and Jill, Ring Around the Roses).



Methinks you were a warped child... :p:
Reply 11
gonnabavet
Methinks you were a warped child... :p:
:rofl:

Not quite... I was pretty normal for my age. :biggrin: :redface:
Monteferro
:rofl:

Not quite... I was pretty normal for my age. :biggrin: :redface:



I never was...
Reply 13
gonnabavet
I never was...
How so?
Reply 14
Some of them are quite dirty when you look at them :biggrin:

Oh the grand, old Duke of York.
He had 10,000 men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
I've just always been different to most of the people my age...
I like to think it's maturity, but it's probably just because I am very peculiar.
I like me though!
Dude
Some of them are quite dirty when you look at them :biggrin:

Oh the grand, old Duke of York.
He had 10,000 men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.



Their legs may have ached after all the walking
Reply 17
Its thought that nursery rhymes and fairy tales are meant to teach morals and social rules to children. Dont know how effective they are these days.
Reply 18
Dude
Some of them are quite dirty when you look at them :biggrin:

Oh the grand, old Duke of York.
He had 10,000 men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
Lmao! It's only now that I realise how bawdy that rhyme really is. :biggrin: :rofl:
ring around the roses was about people dying from the plague...


the reason being that back in those days people died alot, and since the kids had no t.v, they had nothing better to do then sing songs about it. sick f*cks