Do childhood rhymes have a meaning behind them?

Question

Ex. Ring around the rosey

List as many as you can, plz and ty :]

Answer 1

Ring around the roses = about the plague

The one where it says summat about blackbirds baked in a pie =

a coded song about calling for pirates

thats all i know soz

Answer 2

Yeahh, remember in science class, our teacher told us about  "Ring around the rosey" being a childs song about the black plauge, and thats all I know, lmfao,

Answer 3

Ring around the rosie is a rhyme that was formed because of the plague....ring around the rosey, a pocket full of possies, ashes ashes we all fall down - its about death.  

Answer 4

Using your example - some may tell you it has a specific meaning, but this "meaning" was assigned to it more recently.

Not knowing the origin of Ring Around the Rosie, we cannot really know if the author(s) came up with this to symbolize something specific, or if it was just a catchy little poem that was turned into a children's game.

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/...

But lets think back, to a time long ago, before computers, Xboxes, ipods, and cell phones...long before TV even...kids had to entertain themselves, so it makes sense that when they played together, they would make up some of their own games.

Answer 5

Yes Ring around the rosey refers to the plague. Kinda dark I know alot of rhymes are. ring around the roesy refers to the types of rashes you would get. pocket full of posey refers to the smell. ashes ashes they would burn the victims clothes and sometimes the victim. we all fall down (you can guess)

Rock-a-bye baby

refers to a native american practice of hanging baby baskets off tree branches while the moms gathered food.

Little Miss Muffet

As it happens, there actually was a Little Miss Muffet. Patience Muffet was the daughter of Dr. Muffet (1553-1604) who was a famous entomologist, who wrote the first scientific catalog of British Insects.

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty in this rhyme is believed to be a large cannon! The cannon was used during the English Civil War (1642-1649) in the Siege of Colchester (June 13, 1648 - August 27, 1648). Colchester was strongly fortified by the Royalists and was laid to siege by the Parliamentarians (Roundheads). In 1648, the town of Colchester was a walled town with a castle and several churches and was protected by the city wall. St Mary's Church stood immediately alongside the city wall. A huge cannon, colloquially called Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed on the wall next to St Mary's Church.

A shot from a Parliamentary cannon damaged the wall Humpty Dumpty sat on causing the cannon to "take a great fall". The Royalists, or Cavaliers (all the King's men) attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty on to another part of the wall. They probably attempted to use horses to help lift it, hence all the kings horses and all the kings men.

They we're, as we know, unsuccessful. This had a drastic consequence for the Royalists as the strategically important town of Colchester fell to the Parliamentarians after a siege lasting eleven weeks.

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill is based on French history. Jack is said to be King Louis XVI, who was beheaded in 1793(lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette, Jill (who came tumbling after).

The rhyme was found in print 2 years later in 1795.

Answer 6

Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot...

(V for Vendetta) about Guy Fawkes trying to blow up the House of Parliament

John Jacob Jingleheimer Shmit (German immigrants in USA)

London Bridge is  falling down (London Bridge destroyed and rebuilt/fortified)

Baa Baa Black Sheep

There are a bajillion

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/

Answer 7

I've always heard that the "ring around the rosey" one was about the black plague.

EDIT:

Look here...http://thereisnospace.blogspot.com/2007/...

Answer 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursery_rhy...

whole things here.

Answer 9

Some do. Some were used to teach a lesson or a morale.

Answer 10

yea the influenza is one back in the like the 20s or 30s influenza was big and killing alot of people in the US

Answer 11

yea they do have a meaning.....

Answer 12

most of them do

i don't know the meanings

i know the one that goes

"i had a little bird

her name was enza

i open the window

and in flew enza"

or something like that

has to do with the fu.