Nursery Rhymes are one such thing that every child grows up while listening to them. Every mother sings and teaches nursery rhymes to their children as they have an important message behind them. There have been many famous rhymes that have been passed from generation to generation. But with time the true meaning of these rhymes has been forgotten. Kids usually sing them while playing games with their friends without knowing the context of why these rhymes were created. From “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to “Five Little Monkeys,” we all have heard these poems since our childhood and will someday transfer them to our children.
Today at Bhartiyam International School, Rudrapur we will talk about the 5 Nursery Rhymes and when and why they were composed. We think it is important to tell the kids the behind story of these nursery rhymes. It will help them understand the real issue and will get an idea of the times our ancestors have lived in.
So let us know the story behind these 5 Nursery Rhymes and their backstory.
1) London Bridge is Falling Down
London Bridge is falling down is one of the oldest and most famous Nursery Rhymes that is taught to children by their parents or in school. If by any chance you haven’t heard this rhyme, below are the lyrics of the poem. While reading through the poem you would feel sympathy as the London Bridge is falling down and people are worried about how to rebuild it. Many proofs state why and when this nursery rhyme was written. Theories suggest that a Viking raid in 1014 was headed by Olaf II of Norway. During the raid, The London bridge was destroyed by the Vikings and the poem is actually about the war, not just about a falling 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 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.
2) Jack And Jill
Jack and Jill is another poem that everyone remembers by heart. Usually, this poem is taught to children as it gives a clear message to always be careful and never go out alone without telling your parents. But was this the reason why it was written? It is a satire written on Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette that represents Jack and Jill respectively in this poem. The line in the poem ‘Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after’ is regarding King Louis XVI. He lost his throne and after him, his wife was also no longer a queen.
“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.
Then up got Jack and said to Jill,
As in his arms, he took her,
“Brush off that dirt for you’re not hurt,
Let’s fetch that pail of water.”
So Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch the pail of water,
And took it home to Mother dear,
Who thanked her son and daughter.”
3) Ring Around The Rosie
Everyone remembers holding hands with each other and spinning around while singing ‘Ring Around The Rosie’. It is often seen as a fun and enjoyable nursery rhyme that children sing while playing with each other. But there is a different story behind this- what if we tell you Rosie is not a person. Rosie is a name of a disease. The poem talks about the great plaque of London that occurred in 1665. The line, pocket full of Posies describes how the people use to keep posies to hide the smell of the disease.
Ring a ring o’ roses (Ring Around the Rosie}
A pocketful of posies
a-tishoo, a-tishoo
We all fall down.
The King has sent his daughter
To fetch a pail of water
a-tishoo, a-tishoo
We all fall down.
The bird upon the steeple
Sits high above the people
a-tishoo, a-tishoo
We all fall down.
The cows are in the meadow
Lying fast asleep
a-tishoo, a-tishoo
We all get up again.
4) Baa Baa Black Sheep
The lyrics to this nursery rhyme are not at all about black sheep. It talks about a feud in England during the 13th Century. The then King of England Edward I imposed a severe wool tax on farmers. The king, church, and the farmers all received one-third of the wool to themselves. The line ‘ One for the little boy who lives down the lane’ conveys how the farmers have to plead to the sheep for wool.
“Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane”
5) Three Blind Mice
The three blind mice is a nursery rhyme that already sounds cruel as it talks about a farmer’s wife cutting the tales off mice. The real-life story is even worse and talks about three protestant priests - Nicholas Radley, Thomas Radley, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The priest represents mice and the farmer’s wife is Mary I. The priests met the same fate just as the 3 mice did in the poem.
“Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?”
Conclusion
So, these were the 5 Nursery Rhymes and their Backstory. Did you know about these nursery rhymes? If you are aware - Did you know about the real stories behind these poems? We hope this backstory would have helped you gain information about the real-life interesting facts. Although you must be thinking about why to tell these stories to children and ruin the fun. But Nursery Rhymes are usually taught to teach life lessons to kids. So don’t you think telling them the backstory would help them understand better?
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