you know the words but help out the
backstory welcome to watchmojo.com tenth
everyday so be sure to subscribe to our
Channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos for
this list we’re looking at popular
nursery rhymes that many people learn
during their childhood but which upon
closer inspection are actually kind of
messed up being due to the meaning of
the words or the sinister lore behind
these children’s poems lullabies and
songs these nursery rhymes are far
darker than you likely realized as a kid
number 10 pop goes the weasel for modern
children this nursery rhyme and singing
game is just a whole lot of fun nonsense
the verses have evolved significantly
over the years and the contemporary
American versions usually tell of a
monkey chasing a weasel around a
mulberry bush but as the verses progress
the narrative begins to line up more
with the traditional wording it’s all
about buying needle and thread and
little boys who are sick in reality this
song is about abject poverty using
cockney rhyming slang pop goes the
weasel is a person pawning their coat to
buy themselves food and drink the monkey
represents looming debts and the demand
for repayment not so fun anymore is it
[Music]
number nine here we go round the
mulberry bush considering how little
time the average kid spends around
mulberry bushes it’s kind of ridiculous
how present they are in popular nursery
rhymes but like many nursery rhymes here
we go round the mulberry bush dates back
to the mid 19th century when kids had to
get creative with mundane things to keep
themselves entertained though this
particular nursery rhyme seems innocent
enough one historian RS Duncan believes
that it takes its roots from Her
Majesty’s Prison Wakefield where the
female prisoners allegedly used to walk
around a mulberry tree for exercise
though this interpretation has been
contested by some it still makes for a
grim mental picture number 8 georgie
porgie it might be a silly name but
georgie porgie has got a very adult
history behind it at least according to
one analysis like when it was supposed
to be babysitting georgie porgie and his
sleazy brother rick porgy hey Rick you
want to kiss some girls and make him cry
it’s been suggested that this popular
nursery rhyme often used as a schoolyard
taunt was actually a reference to the
rumoured homosexual love affair between
a man named George Villiers and King
James the first the speed with which
Villiers position was elevated by King
James raised eyebrows then as it still
does now the nursery rhyme not only
mocks James and Villiers but takes
Villiers to task in another way as he
allegedly forced himself upon women if
anyone should try to follow us would you
be good enough to kill him number 7 Jack
and Jill once I read a book called Jack
and Jill they went down a hill good
thing we don’t have crowns this
particular Nursery Rhyme more so than
most has a clear narrative Jack and Jill
go up the hill to get some water Jack
falls and hits his head Jill quickly
runs down the hill after him in the
later verses it’s made clear that Jack
survives but when you end the story
after the first verse it’s more
ambiguous well it turns out that Jack
and Jill may have been doing more on
that hill than ahem fetching water
Kilmer’s den a village in somerset
claims it to be a true story from their
own history involving an affair that
ended in an unwanted pregnancy a fatal
blow to the head for Jack and the
death of Jill during childbirth Jack and
Jill went up the hill and Jill came
tumbling after the end good night number
six
rub-a-dub-dub when you were a child you
were overly fond of the nursery rhyme
rub-a-dub-dub three men in a tub over
time nursery rhymes tend to evolve often
winding up substantially different from
their original wording such as the case
with rub-a-dub-dub the version best
known today describes three men in a tub
out at sea
it’s a funny image that continues to
delight children to this day especially
since the men have such distinct
professions the candlestick maker gosh
three men in a tub here’s the thing
though in the original nursery rhyme the
butcher the baker and the candlestick
maker were not in the tub they were
watching three women in the tub that’s
right it was apparently some sort of
Peep Show at the fair and these three
men were there to stare number five
[Music]
some argue the titular Mary in this
Nursery Rhyme is none other than the
mother of Jesus and the bells cockle
shells and Pretty Maids are all
religious symbols others have suggested
it’s about Mary the first of England
however and it’s a pretty sinister
depiction Queen Mary famously had
fertility problems which could be with
the line how does your garden grow
refers to she also earned herself the
nickname Bloody Mary when she had
Protestants killed and some believe the
bells and shells the rhyme mentions are
instruments of torture and the Pretty
Maids all in a row to be guillotines
similarly Mary the first of England is
also thought to be the farmer’s wife in
three blind mice number four it’s
raining it’s pouring
I think it wouldn’t be simply an
absurdly catchy and sure to pop into
your head
anytime it rains this popular nursery
rhyme sadly is about much more than a
rainy day innocent as we are when we’re
kids we feel bad for the old man who
bumps his head but we assume that he was
simply too groggy sore or disoriented to
rise in the morning the thing is he’s
not taking a sick day that bump on the
head in the night was likely a fatal one
he couldn’t get up the next morning or
any morning after that number 310 Little
Indians it’s easy enough to see why this
particular nursery rhyme is problematic
just look at that title while most of
the nursery rhymes listed today are
English in origin
this one is distinctly American made the
nursery rhyme dates back to the 19th
century and was adapted into a
full-length song in 1868 by songwriter
Septimus winner entitled ten little
engines another version also switched
the word Indian for the N word
regardless of the version you’ve
encountered it’s a racist nursery rhyme
that at the very least mocks the
intelligence and capabilities of
indigenous people but can equally be
seen as a story of genocide number 2
ring a ring a Rosie the central line of
this nursery rhyme was originally ring a
ring of roses and has been interpreted a
number of ways but it’s most popularly
seen as an instructional singing game
involving an intentional fall or curtsy
[Music]
one of the most common myths is that
it’s talking about either the black
death in the mid 14th century or the
Great Plague of London in the mid 17th
the sneezing and falling down are now
retro actively seen as signs of illness
and death resulting from the plague
posies were supposedly carried around
for their purported protective purposes
the Rosie was the rash and the ashes
well a lot of bodies were burned after
they all fell down even if that’s not
the inspiration pretty grim huh number
one London Bridge is falling down London
Bridge is falling
falling down falling down this famous
singing game is known to date back to
the 17th century but quite possibly much
earlier the melody is catchy and the
accompanying game can provide children
with hours of fun just as long as you
don’t dig too deep into the origins of
the Nursery Rhyme there are three
predominant theories one is the story of
a Viking attack and the apparent
wrecking of the London Bridge
the second is simply that it’s inspired
by a fire that struck in 1633 the last
and most haunting however is that
children were buried maybe alive in the
foundation for superstitious reasons
aren’t you glad it’s stuck in your head
now child sacrifice a little hardcore
don’t you think do you agree with our
picks check out these other great clips
from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe
and ring the bell to be notified about
our latest videos [Music]
backstory welcome to watchmojo.com tenth
everyday so be sure to subscribe to our
Channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos for
this list we’re looking at popular
nursery rhymes that many people learn
during their childhood but which upon
closer inspection are actually kind of
messed up being due to the meaning of
the words or the sinister lore behind
these children’s poems lullabies and
songs these nursery rhymes are far
darker than you likely realized as a kid
number 10 pop goes the weasel for modern
children this nursery rhyme and singing
game is just a whole lot of fun nonsense
the verses have evolved significantly
over the years and the contemporary
American versions usually tell of a
monkey chasing a weasel around a
mulberry bush but as the verses progress
the narrative begins to line up more
with the traditional wording it’s all
about buying needle and thread and
little boys who are sick in reality this
song is about abject poverty using
cockney rhyming slang pop goes the
weasel is a person pawning their coat to
buy themselves food and drink the monkey
represents looming debts and the demand
for repayment not so fun anymore is it
[Music]
number nine here we go round the
mulberry bush considering how little
time the average kid spends around
mulberry bushes it’s kind of ridiculous
how present they are in popular nursery
rhymes but like many nursery rhymes here
we go round the mulberry bush dates back
to the mid 19th century when kids had to
get creative with mundane things to keep
themselves entertained though this
particular nursery rhyme seems innocent
enough one historian RS Duncan believes
that it takes its roots from Her
Majesty’s Prison Wakefield where the
female prisoners allegedly used to walk
around a mulberry tree for exercise
though this interpretation has been
contested by some it still makes for a
grim mental picture number 8 georgie
porgie it might be a silly name but
georgie porgie has got a very adult
history behind it at least according to
one analysis like when it was supposed
to be babysitting georgie porgie and his
sleazy brother rick porgy hey Rick you
want to kiss some girls and make him cry
it’s been suggested that this popular
nursery rhyme often used as a schoolyard
taunt was actually a reference to the
rumoured homosexual love affair between
a man named George Villiers and King
James the first the speed with which
Villiers position was elevated by King
James raised eyebrows then as it still
does now the nursery rhyme not only
mocks James and Villiers but takes
Villiers to task in another way as he
allegedly forced himself upon women if
anyone should try to follow us would you
be good enough to kill him number 7 Jack
and Jill once I read a book called Jack
and Jill they went down a hill good
thing we don’t have crowns this
particular Nursery Rhyme more so than
most has a clear narrative Jack and Jill
go up the hill to get some water Jack
falls and hits his head Jill quickly
runs down the hill after him in the
later verses it’s made clear that Jack
survives but when you end the story
after the first verse it’s more
ambiguous well it turns out that Jack
and Jill may have been doing more on
that hill than ahem fetching water
Kilmer’s den a village in somerset
claims it to be a true story from their
own history involving an affair that
ended in an unwanted pregnancy a fatal
blow to the head for Jack and the
death of Jill during childbirth Jack and
Jill went up the hill and Jill came
tumbling after the end good night number
six
rub-a-dub-dub when you were a child you
were overly fond of the nursery rhyme
rub-a-dub-dub three men in a tub over
time nursery rhymes tend to evolve often
winding up substantially different from
their original wording such as the case
with rub-a-dub-dub the version best
known today describes three men in a tub
out at sea
it’s a funny image that continues to
delight children to this day especially
since the men have such distinct
professions the candlestick maker gosh
three men in a tub here’s the thing
though in the original nursery rhyme the
butcher the baker and the candlestick
maker were not in the tub they were
watching three women in the tub that’s
right it was apparently some sort of
Peep Show at the fair and these three
men were there to stare number five
[Music]
some argue the titular Mary in this
Nursery Rhyme is none other than the
mother of Jesus and the bells cockle
shells and Pretty Maids are all
religious symbols others have suggested
it’s about Mary the first of England
however and it’s a pretty sinister
depiction Queen Mary famously had
fertility problems which could be with
the line how does your garden grow
refers to she also earned herself the
nickname Bloody Mary when she had
Protestants killed and some believe the
bells and shells the rhyme mentions are
instruments of torture and the Pretty
Maids all in a row to be guillotines
similarly Mary the first of England is
also thought to be the farmer’s wife in
three blind mice number four it’s
raining it’s pouring
I think it wouldn’t be simply an
absurdly catchy and sure to pop into
your head
anytime it rains this popular nursery
rhyme sadly is about much more than a
rainy day innocent as we are when we’re
kids we feel bad for the old man who
bumps his head but we assume that he was
simply too groggy sore or disoriented to
rise in the morning the thing is he’s
not taking a sick day that bump on the
head in the night was likely a fatal one
he couldn’t get up the next morning or
any morning after that number 310 Little
Indians it’s easy enough to see why this
particular nursery rhyme is problematic
just look at that title while most of
the nursery rhymes listed today are
English in origin
this one is distinctly American made the
nursery rhyme dates back to the 19th
century and was adapted into a
full-length song in 1868 by songwriter
Septimus winner entitled ten little
engines another version also switched
the word Indian for the N word
regardless of the version you’ve
encountered it’s a racist nursery rhyme
that at the very least mocks the
intelligence and capabilities of
indigenous people but can equally be
seen as a story of genocide number 2
ring a ring a Rosie the central line of
this nursery rhyme was originally ring a
ring of roses and has been interpreted a
number of ways but it’s most popularly
seen as an instructional singing game
involving an intentional fall or curtsy
[Music]
one of the most common myths is that
it’s talking about either the black
death in the mid 14th century or the
Great Plague of London in the mid 17th
the sneezing and falling down are now
retro actively seen as signs of illness
and death resulting from the plague
posies were supposedly carried around
for their purported protective purposes
the Rosie was the rash and the ashes
well a lot of bodies were burned after
they all fell down even if that’s not
the inspiration pretty grim huh number
one London Bridge is falling down London
Bridge is falling
falling down falling down this famous
singing game is known to date back to
the 17th century but quite possibly much
earlier the melody is catchy and the
accompanying game can provide children
with hours of fun just as long as you
don’t dig too deep into the origins of
the Nursery Rhyme there are three
predominant theories one is the story of
a Viking attack and the apparent
wrecking of the London Bridge
the second is simply that it’s inspired
by a fire that struck in 1633 the last
and most haunting however is that
children were buried maybe alive in the
foundation for superstitious reasons
aren’t you glad it’s stuck in your head
now child sacrifice a little hardcore
don’t you think do you agree with our
picks check out these other great clips
from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe
and ring the bell to be notified about
our latest videos [Music]
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