For better or verse

Nursery rhymes have long been the key ingredient to aiding a child’s development in the formative years. Around the world, sung in multiple languages and accents, these rhymes provide a perfect melodic platform for children to learn words easily.

We’ve all grown hearing these innocuous nursery rhymes and many of us have even danced to some tunes as well. The rhyme, ring-a ring-o rose does not bear the same innocence with which every teacher or a parent croons it to the child. Ring-a ring-o roses sings scenes right out of the 1665 plague of London. The roses refer to the rashes while the ‘posies’ were kept in pockets to keep out the bad stench of the rashes. ‘At-tishoo’, the sneeze and finally ‘all fall down’ signifying death. Though it has many versions and is sung in several languages today, the rhymes are not as melancholic as the original one.

Oranges and lemons, another rhyme, dates back to 1600’s. It is a commentary on the several churches of London and is often played like a game by the children. The aim is to escape the arms of the two children holding up their arms in an arch. The game ends if the child’s head is caught between the arms of the children. This old rhyme refers to the public executions back in time. The victim would be informed of his execution with candlelight. It goes ‘here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes the chopper to chop off your head, chip chop chip chop, the last man’s dead.”

The genesis of these nursery rhymes can be date back to several centuries. Under those words, lie stories of torture, deceit, plague, greed, theft and death. Fearing execution, people chose rhymes with soft sinless tunes as a medium to deliver messages to the common public.

‘Baa Baa Black sheep’ is a chant about the ever-increasing tax a farmer had to endure who was left with little to fend for himself after paying the King and the Church. ‘Three Blind Mice’ is a rhyme about bishops conspiring to overthrow the queen. ‘Jack and Jill’ speaks about the executions of Louis the XVI and Mary Annitonette on charges of treason, while ‘London Bridge is falling down’, throws light on child sacrifices during that era.

Though many original rhymes sing a very gloomy picture about the society, children hear only the innocent sound and the rhythm of words, which attracts them. Even today, we can hear these small unaffected children humming the rhymes obliviously.