17Dark&CreepyMeaningsBehindOurFavoriteNurseryRhymes&Lullabies17Dark&CreepyMeaningsBehindOurFavoriteNurseryRhymes&LullabiesGiphy GIFGiphy GIF
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Dark & Creepy Meanings Behind Our Favorite Nursery Rhymes & Lullabies
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Most of the nursery rhymes and songs we know have been around for centuries. And while the melody might be relaxing and the lyrics catchy, there are some creepy and dark meanings behind them that we didn’t expect.
Going around the mulberry bush on a frosty morning sounds pretty calm and innocent, but there’s more to the story than it seems. According to a historian, the song is said to have originated with prisoners.
'HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH'
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“Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” isn’t the happiest of lullabies, but for some reason it’s been around forever. Apparently, there’s no real consensus over what it means but there are a few theories – none bedtime friendly.
'BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP'
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Humpty Dumpty is one of the first nursery rhymes we learn and it seems to date back to 1797. The rhyme or riddle is thought to relate to some war from a whole lotta years ago — like the idea that kings fell off their horses during war and were cut up by swords.
'HUMPTY DUMPTY'
Public Domain; Wikipedia
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“This Old Man” is believed to come from a creepy story – specifically old men who are inappropriate with young kids. It’s said to be a song parents would teach to warn their kids.
'THIS OLD MAN'
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No, this one's not about the actual animal. Apparently, it’s a song or rhyme used to commemorate and honor England’s poverty.
'POP GOES THE WEASEL'
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'ROCK-A-BYE BABY'
Listening to the lyrics, it’s not hard to pinpoint that this song is really creepy. There are a lot of theories about its meaning — everything from famous royals worried about the heir to the throne to a story of a couple who let their baby sleep in a hollowed-out tree.
'EENY, MEENY, MINY, MOE'
This song doesn’t even have a consensus on how to spell “mo (or is it moe?)" But there are several theories that point to dark and creepy meaning with some saying that the word “tiger” is a relatively new word swapped out for one that has been and still is an incredibly racist word.
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'RUB-A-DUB-DUB'
It’s a cute rhyme about a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker, but it’s more than what it seems. According to some, the “maid” is the one who was in the tub and it references a really old-school peep show where men would pay to see women bathe in a tub.
Wikipedia Photos / Fil.A (CC BY 2.0)
The story about Jack and Jill, who we’ve always assumed are siblings, tumbling down a hill after trying to get a bucket of water seems innocent enough. Apparently there’s one creepy meaning that points to Jack and Jill being secret lovers, not related.
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'JACK & JILL'
In some origin stories of the song, it has a much darker meaning. One theory believes the song might be about Catholics from way back in the 1600s who were burned at the stake if they were found saying Mass in Protestant England.
'LADYBIRD'
Blanche Fisher Wright / Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
'LUCY LOCKET'
The rhyme is really short and one that’s not as popular in the United States as some of the others on the list. It’s not about a locket that a cat found, it’s referencing Catherine Maria "Kitty" Fisher, a famous courtesan from the 18th century.
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'RING AROUND THE ROSIE'
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Another rhyme that has two versions, whether they’re ringing around the rose or ringing around the rosie, both seem to point to the same meaning. Since the mid-20th century, people have said the song is about the plague that took hold in England in 1665.
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“Three Blind Mice” points all the way back to Queen Mary I and the blind mice were the Protestant loyalists who were accused of plotting against her. They were apparently burned at the stake, and that’s not a fun song to repeat to the kids.
'THREE BLIND MICE'
'OLD MOTHER HUBBARD'
Old Mother Hubbard is a weird rhyme to begin with. Some say it’s a rhyme used to poke fun at Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who refused to give England's King Henry VIII an annulment in the 16th century.
Sarah Catherine Martin / Public Domain
Beatrix Potter - The Gutenberg Project / Public Domain
The actual meaning behind it is way darker than we would have ever guessed. The rhyme points to religious persecution in England, where Catholic priests weren’t allowed to say their prayers in Latin anywhere, even when by themselves.
'GOOSEY, GOOSEY, GANDER'
t’s creepy on its own being about a bridge crumbling, but other sources say it’s derived from a real-life Viking attack in the early 1000s.
'LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN'
Phillippe Pigouchet (15th/16th century) / Public Domain
'MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY'
This is another rhyme that seems super innocent at first glance. Queen Mary I of England, who also has the nickname of Bloody Mary, is the meaning behind the song, and cockle shells and silver bells are torture devices.
Public Doman / Wikipedia