Children grow up hearing and singing nursery rhymes. Experts say that many nursery rhymes have a secret meaning, such as a parody of our everyday lives or a satire of historical events. Children may sing nursery rhymes merrily, but some would give them a chill if they knew the origin of the song. We can find a host of internet websites about secret meanings behind English nursery rhymes.

For example, “Ring Around the Rosie” is a cheerful song that children sing in a circle before they fall to the ground together. It goes like this: “Ring around the rosie/ A pocketful of posies/ Ashes, ashes/ We all fall down.” Yet they say that one of the origins of this song is the plague that devastated Europe during the medieval period. “Rosie” symbolizes the rashes people got when infected with the plague, and “posies” were a wishful remedy to cure the deadly disease. Sadly, the last line implies that everybody dies of the pandemic.

Another cruel nursery rhyme is “Rock-a-Bye-Baby” that begins: “Rock-a-bye-baby, on the tree top/ When the wind blows the cradle will rock/ When the bough breaks the cradle will fall/ And down will come baby, cradle, and all.” Historians say that the baby refers to the son of King James II of England. The writer wrote this song during the revolution in the 17th century, wishing the baby prince would die, so that the reign of King James II would end.

“The Ants go Marching” is a favorite nursery rhyme in English-speaking countries. The lyrics begin: “The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah/ The little one stops to suck his thumb/ And they all go marching down to the ground/ To get out of the rain.” This nursery rhyme is from a Civil War-era song about a woman’s hope that her fiance who was a Union soldier returns safely.

In the 1980s, Korean student political activists used this nursery rhyme as a protest song against the military dictatorial regime. They changed the lyrics to “Guarantee the freedom of academia, hurrah, hurrah!/ Guarantee the freedom of speech, hurrah, hurrah!/ Guarantee the workers’ rights, hurrah, hurrah!” Why anti-American radical students adopted an American nursery rhyme to protest a military dictatorship that they believed was supported by the US is a mystery.

Another nursery rhyme derived from the Civil War is “Shoo Fly, Don‘t Bother Me,” which begins with “Shoo fly, don’t bother me/ Shoo fly, don‘t bother me/ For I belong to somebody.” When I saw a cute little computer graphic girl sing the song on TV, I smiled because I felt that the song was teaching the girl what to say to the boys who will chase her later in her teens. Otherwise, saying to a shoo fly, “For I belong to somebody” would not make much sense.

Another famous song is “Humpty Dumpty” that goes, “Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall/ Humpty Dumpty had a great fall/ All the king‘s horses and all the king’s men/ Couldn‘t put Humpty together again.” According to historians, “Humpty Dumpty” may be a parody of England’s King Richard III, a humpback, who was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth in the fifteenth century.

Fascinatingly, historians also point out that “Three Blind Mice” is a song about three Protestant loyalists who were burnt at stake under the charge of plotting a revolt against Queen Mary I in the 17th century. It goes like this: “Three blind mice/ See how they run/ They all ran after the farmer‘s wife/ She cut off their tails with a carving knife/ Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blind mice?”

The lyrics of “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” go like this: “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.” Some people are suspicious if there are racial connotations in that song because it refers to “black sheep” and the “master.” Therefore, some schools banned it and others switched “black sheep” to “pink sheep,” “yellow sheep” or “rainbow sheep.”

“Jack and Jill” begins with “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.” A theory attributes the rhyme to the increased taxes on alcohol during the reign of King Charles I of England, which was measured in units, “jacks,” and “gills.” Another interpretation says that the song is a metaphor for having sex. Jack dies after the fall and pregnant Jill, too, dies during the childbirth.

By composing and spreading such nursery rhymes that have secret meanings, perhaps adults want to indirectly teach children about the dark realities of this world. Those children’s songs are also a wonderful reminder of human follies. We can learn many valuable things from nursery rhymes.

Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are his own. -- Ed.