Buzz
For generations, Mother Goose's collection of nursery rhymes has brought joy to children. However, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the messages we’re passing on. Many of these tunes, now considered kids' songs, originally had adult origins and carried themes far more mature than they appear.
10. “Sing A Song Of Sixpence” Served as a Pirate Recruitment Tune
Initially, “Sing A Song of Sixpence” wasn’t intended for children—it was a pirate’s anthem. More than just a melody, it served as a secret code.
When pirate ships arrived at a harbor, they often needed to recruit new members. However, pirates couldn’t openly advertise their illegal activities. Instead, they used “Sing A Song of Sixpence” as a covert signal to attract potential recruits.
The “sixpence” referred to the daily wage offered, while “a pocket full of rye” guaranteed each crew member a leather bag filled with rye whiskey. The “blackbirds” symbolized the pirates, and the pie represented a trap. The song’s message was clear: join us, deceive wealthy ships, and seize their treasures.
9. “Jimmy Crack Corn” Depicts a Slave Rejoicing Over His Master’s Demise
Originally, “Jimmy Crack Corn” was a minstrel song performed by white actors in blackface, with exaggerated red smiles painted on their faces.
Audiences watching these performances didn’t interpret the song as meaningless. The narrative was straightforward: a white man’s horse is stung by a blue-tail fly, causing it to panic, throw its rider, and ultimately lead to his death.
The song is narrated by the man’s enslaved servant, who shows little sorrow over his master’s demise. Instead, he’s busy making “jim crack corn,” which refers to corn whiskey, and drinking heavily to toast a world with one fewer slave owner.
8. “Do Your Ears Hang Low” Is a Sanitized Version of a Military Tune
“Do Your Ears Hang Low” is a playful, slightly cheeky children’s tune about ears so long they can be tied in a bow and tossed over your shoulder. The song’s origins trace back to World War I, where a colonel and his troops were overheard singing a version titled “Do Your Balls Hang Low.”
Apart from a few word changes, the lyrics remained largely the same. However, lines like, “Can ya’ sling ‘em o’er your shoulder like a lousy
7. “Frere Jacques” Was Employed to Mock Jewish People
“Frere Jacques” has become a global phenomenon, embraced by nearly every culture. Despite its widespread appeal, the song’s lyrics are deeply rooted in a specific cultural context—it is unmistakably a Catholic hymn, intended for Catholic audiences.
The song was initially crafted to mock those outside the Catholic faith. “Frere Jacques” likely alludes to the Jacobian order, a Catholic sect the song accuses of idleness. However, the French extended its use beyond mere ridicule, reportedly chanting it at Protestants and Jews to taunt them for skipping Catholic Sunday services.
This means that singing “Frere Jacques” today echoes a history where it was used to convey the message, “Get out of France, Jews!”
6. “Big Rock Candy Mountain” Depicts the Luring of Children by Hobos
“Big Rock Candy Mountain” is filled with whimsical imagery like “lemonade springs where bluebird sings,” making it seem like a children’s tune. However, the song was first recorded by Harry McClintock, who revealed it’s far from innocent. It tells the story of hobos enticing children into exploitative situations—and it’s based on his own experiences.
As a young boy, McClintock was coerced into begging for hobos. He later recounted, “There were times when I fought like a wildcat to protect my freedom and innocence.”
Initially, McClintock had an additional verse that has been omitted from most renditions. The song concluded with:
“I’ll be damned if I continue hiking Only to end up abused and battered like a hobo’s companion In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.”
5. The nursery rhyme “Rub-A-Dub-Dub” is actually about peeking at naked women.
“Rub-A-Dub-Dub” is an oddly peculiar tune featuring a butcher, baker, and candlestick maker sharing a bath. Even in its current form, it’s quite unusual—but surprisingly, this mildly suggestive bathing scenario is actually a sanitized adaptation.
The original version of the song had a slightly different twist. It went like this:
“Hey, rub-a-dub, ho, rub-a-dub, Three maids in a tub. And who do you think were there? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, And all of them heading to the fair.”
The “fair” mentioned here was essentially the 14th-century version of a strip club. Men would gather to watch women bathe in the nude, and the song hints at a scandal by implying that three upstanding tradesmen were caught enjoying the spectacle.
4. “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush” Originated as a Prison Work Song
“Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush” appears to be a children’s song aimed at teaching good habits, with verses encouraging them to clean floors, wash their faces, and attend church early each day.
However, its creators were far from model parents. The song originated as a tune sung by female inmates at Wakefield Prison, a high-security facility. When their children visited, the prisoners would walk them around the mulberry bush in the exercise yard, singing this melody.
The lyrics about scrubbing floors at dawn aren’t life lessons—they’re the prisoners’ grievances about their mandatory daily chores.
3. “Goosey, Goosey Gander” Was a Menacing Warning to Catholics
“Goosey, Goosey Gander” is an eerie nursery rhyme about a goose encountering an elderly man who refuses to pray, resulting in him being thrown down a flight of stairs. The lyrics are quite literal. Written in the 16th century, it reflects a time when Protestant mobs hunted and executed Catholics. Many Catholics hid in concealed spaces known as Priest Holes, and if discovered, they were dragged downstairs and killed.
The song doesn’t appear to condemn these actions. Instead, “Goosey, Goosey Gander” serves as a chilling ultimatum. It essentially warns: “Convert to Protestantism, or face discovery and death.”
2. “Pop Goes The Weasel” Originated as a Cockney Drinking Anthem
“Pop Goes The Weasel” is so deeply ingrained in our culture that it’s played by toys and ice cream trucks. Society has embraced it as the ultimate children’s tune, despite its seemingly odd theme of celebrating the demise of weasels.
However, its origins have nothing to do with animals—it was actually a song about excessive drinking. Written in cockney rhyming slang, the lyrics are not what they appear. “Pop” refers to pawning, and “weasel” is shorthand for “weasel and stoat,” which translates to “coat.”
Cockney men would belt out this tune during their pub crawls. “Up and down the city road, in and out the Eagle,” they sang, referencing the Eagle Tavern, “That’s the way the money goes.” The lyrics were a nod to spending every last penny on alcohol.
By the end of the pub crawl, “Pop goes the weasel”—they’d have spent so much on drinks that they had to pawn their clothes just to afford food.
1. “London Bridge Is Falling Down” Teaches Kids About Ancient Human Sacrifice Rituals
Originally, “London Bridges” was a children’s game where kids formed a bridge with their arms and caught others running beneath. According to Alice Gomme, this wasn’t just playful fun—it symbolized an ancient pagan ritual involving human sacrifice.
Gomme explains that the song reflects a pagan method to prevent bridge collapses. To ensure their bridges stood strong, they would bury a child alive within the structure. The child’s spirit would then act as a guardian, referenced in the song as the “watchman.”
This theory is, understandably, highly debated. For instance, no evidence of buried children has been found in London’s bridges. However, Gomme argues that the song isn’t about a specific bridge or child—it’s a general reference to an ancient practice, hinting at a darker historical context.
