Customer Reviews

Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes

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This is one of two rival British publications about the origins of nursery rhymes that appeared in 2008. I bought this one first, then realized that it would make sense to buy the other, Hey diddle diddle, and compare them. The immediate difference is in the price, this one being the more expensive but covering many more rhymes and doing so in more detail. However, there are some things in Hey diddle diddle that the author of this book missed out.

In this book, the author sometimes failed to establish clearly the origins of some of them, offering conflicting theories and suggesting the one that is likeliest to be true. However, he has no doubt that Humpty Dumpty was originally a cannon that sat in a church tower during the English Civil War. The cannon was very effective at protecting the royalist stronghold of Colchester until one day when the republicans managed to bring down the entire church tower. So Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again. The question of the origin of the name is not answered, nor even asked in this book, but the author explains why Humpty Dumpty is now portrayed as an egg; this was the way he was portrayed in Alice through the looking glass, and the image has stuck. The rival publication Hey diddle diddle suggests that Humpty Dumpty was originally a name given to an obese person.

Elsewhere in the book, the author has unearthed plenty of old rhymes and attempts to explain their origins. The text for each rhyme is given in full, which is just as well because I don't recognize a lot of them and even those that I do recognize contain verses that I don't remember. While most of them are indeed nursery rhymes, I'm not sure if all of them are; Red sky at night (a farming rhyme not included in the rival book) is certainly old, but is it really a nursery rhyme?

One rhyme that is of uncertain origin is Hey diddle diddle! This piece of apparent nonsense could have been about the circumstances surrounding the accession of Richard III to the English throne in 1485, while another theory is based on Elizabeth I and her courtiers, but the author prefers a third theory, that it was written as an educational rhyme to help teach children astronomy. A theory not discussed in this book, but in the rival book that uses this rhyme as its title, suggests that the rhyme may be based on a pub crawl and points to the names of public houses, all of which existed in the eighteenth century, along a road between Macclesfield and Buxton in England.

I'd heard, long before this book was published, that disease (perhaps the Black Plague of the 1340's) inspired Ring-a-ring o' roses. After explaining why this would seem plausible, the author systematically takes apart that theory. Apparently, the rhyme was first published in Britain in 1881 and made no mention of sneezing. The text was changed a few times before the version we are all familiar with became standard. The rival book doesn't mention the publication date or the published text; the author apparently happy to accept conventional wisdom that the rhyme is about a plague.

One rhyme that I don't recall but may have heard during my childhood is The lion and the unicorn, not covered in the rival book, which is apparently about England (the lion) fighting Scotland (the unicorn) at Culloden in 1745. Another rhyme that originated in Anglo-Scottish rivalry is There was a crooked man, which is set in the 1640's during the reign of Charles I. Ultimately, the Scots and the English all lived together in their little crooked house (Britain), though it has always been a somewhat uneasy relationship.

Some of the famous rhymes have more verses than most people are familiar with. There are actually five verses to Little Bo Peep, but I wonder how many people remember the entire rhyme? This particular rhyme apparently has its origins in smuggling, with Little Bo Peep being the customs officers, the sheep being the smugglers and the tails being the contraband. Both books agree on this one. Several locations in St Leonard's (on the Sussex coast near Hastings) carry the Bo Peep name.

While some of these rhymes were inspired by royalty, playing cards actually inspired The queen of hearts, not covered in the rival book, which is the one rhyme you would assume to be about royalty. Among the other rhymes included here, you'll find Baa baa black sheep, Bobby Shafto, Ding dong bell, Georgie Porgie, Goosie goosie gander, Grand old Duke of York, Here we go round the mulberry bush, Hickory dickory dock, Hot cross buns, House that Jack built, Jack and Jill, Jack be nimble, Jack Sprat, Ladybird ladybird, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, Little Jack Horner, Little Miss Muffett, Little Polly Flinders, Little Tommy Tucker, London Bridge is falling down, London's burning, Lucy Lockett, Mary had a little lamb, Mary Mary quite contrary, Monday's child, Old King Cole, Old Mother Hubbard, Oranges and lemons, Owl and the pussycat, Polly put the kettle on, Pop goes the weasel, Pussy cat pussy cat, Rain rain go away, Remember remember the fifth of November, Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross, Rock a bye baby, Rub a dub dub, See saw Margery Daw, Simple Simon, Sing a song of sixpence, Solomon Grundy, There was a little girl, There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, Three blind mice, Tom Tom the piper's son, Twinkle twinkle little star, Wee Willie Winkie and some others that I haven't mentioned.

Although not included here, the rival book Hey diddle diddle includes Hark hark the dogs do bark, A wise old owl, Christmas is coming and Doctor Foster. If you want to know the origins of those four poems, you'll need that book; however, if you only want to buy one book, remember that this one contains far more rhymes overall.

Towards the end of the book, the author stretches the boundaries of the book further by including eleven traditional songs and anthems (Amazing grace, God save the queen, Good King Wenceslas, The hokey cokey, I saw three ships, Jerusalem, The miller of Dee, Skye boat song, Star spangled banner, Swing low sweet chariot, Yankee doodle dandy). Of course, I love this section even though it's not strictly within the scope of the book, but I wish the author had left them out and saved them for a whole book about the origins of traditional songs. Given that he only selected eleven, The miller of Dee (a song I don't remember hearing) seems out of place in the company of the other, much better known songs.

This is a fascinating book and, unless you know the origins of the rhymes already (and I've spoiled it for you in some cases), there are very few of them that you are likely to correctly guess. Meanwhile, the true origins give you little glimpses into British history in a much more entertaining way than your average history book could ever do. It's not quite all British (there's at least one American rhyme here - There was a little girl), while the French are also represented, but it is mostly British. Nevertheless, if you're familiar with some of these rhymes, or even if you're interested in the history of the British royal family (the inspiration for so many rhymes), you'll find plenty to amuse you here. If you only want one book, this is worth the extra cost compared to Hey diddle diddle .

This is a fun reference work. Unlike some other books explaining the origins of nursery rhymes, this one does not go into all kinds of Freudian "adult" explanations (or at least, it doesn't in the ones I have read. I admit to have read only the rhymes I am interested in) and is, therefore, useful if you want to explain the source of a favorite to children and young teen-agers. It also provides alternative possibilities. For the rhyme we were immediately interested in because my wife was using it in her grade school classes, "The Cat and the Fiddle", there were three explanations, which was fun for the kids to select a favorite.

What a concept! A book that deconstructs classic nursery rhymes!

Some examples to illustrate:

"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."

Edward Longshanks--Edward I. He taxed wool to fund his campaigns and other foreign adventures. 1/3 of the price of each sack went to the king (master), 1/3 to the church (the dame), and none to the actual shepherd (the little boy).

I used to think that "Ring-a-Ring O' Roses" (or, as I learned it, "Ring around the rosey") was about the Black Plague. However, the book notes pretty persuasively that that was unlikely.

"Three Blind Mice"? A number of hypotheses. One of those is a reference to "Bloody" Mary, Queen of England. The three blind mice represented former leaders whom Mary imprisoned and then executed.

Anyhow, a lot of fun exploring the origins of the meaning of many of our favorite nursery tales. . .

I've always thought of nursery rhymes as fun and was surprised that this book isn't. On the other hand, I really learned a lot about the origins of rhymes we take for granted. While I've thought of most rhymes as non-sensical and whimsical, many of them had deep meanings or conveyed messages or had some purpose other than to entertain children. The history behind them was enlightening as was the fact that when various ones first appeared many of the people of the period couldn't read so having a message in verse served a greater purpose than it would to us now. Much of the history occurred during unsettled and difficult times when expressing an opinion contrary to the authorities was dangerous where a supposedly silly rhyme could express frustration or derision safely.

Because of the rhyme chosen as the title and the cover art, I really expected a tongue in cheek look at the rhymes' history and more than a little humor. Unfortunately, I found none of that and was a little disappointed that the subject was approached so seriously. The research was prodigious and more than one potential meaning was given if the origin of a rhyme was questionable. I recognized most of the rhymes, probably due to my heritage and age, and enjoyed being reminded of them. I certainly learned a lot and valued the insight, but was hoping for a laugh or two.

This was an entertaining book about the origins of nursery rhymes and their meanings. For instance, I did not know that "Humpty Dumpty" was actually a cannon, and when it fell off the ramparts of the castle it protected, people were in a panic to put it back together.

The author's prose was amusing, and his dry wit made this an infinitely readable and interesting book.

My 15 year old son really enjoyed this book. We sat around as a family talking about each story. A book like this might be what it takes to get a person reading.

This is an easy read, even in one setting. If there is anything that is bothersome it is that the entertainment value is not supported by the concreteness of fact. I realize that the author is dealing with esoteric and elusive materials, but I found myself at times "flipped off" rather than informed. In any case, a good read!