Ring arround the rosey?

Question

is ring arround the rosey really a song about disease??

Answer 1

Black plague.  Google it; it's gross.

Answer 2

Yes it is. "Ring around the rosey" refers to the rash caused by the bubonic plague. "Pocket full of poseys" to the flowers sick people carried to help kill the smell. As for the rest, you get the idea. Many children's nursery rhymes are based on actual events and definately not so innocent.

Answer 3

A similar question was asked the other day. Here was my answer:

The words to the Ring around the rosy children's ring game have their origin in English history . The historical period dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665 (bubonic plague) or even before when the first outbreak of the Plague hit England in the 1300's. The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy). Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs ( or posies) which were carried due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells. The term "Ashes Ashes" refers to the cremation of the dead bodies! The death rate was over 60% and the plague was only halted by the Great Fire of London in 1666 which killed the rats which carried the disease which was transmitting via water sources. The English version of "Ring around the rosy" replaces Ashes with (A-tishoo, A-tishoo) as violent sneezing was another symptom of the disease.

For more, see the website cited.

However, someone else provided a link to another site that says that there the above explanation is not true: http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/...

Answer 4

Yes...i learned it in middle school. Its about the Bubonic Plauge.

"Ring around the Rosie" means that the people effected with the plage would get red rings on their skin

"pocket full of posies" was because the people were dying so quick that there was no where to put them so they were in streets and the smell got bad. So people would walk around with posies (flowers) in there pocket so they could pull them out and smell them when it got too bad

"ashes ashes they all fall down" is stating how they burnt all the bodies because it was so many bodies and everyone (well lots of people) died.

Answer 5

Yes, it's about the black plague in Europe

Answer 6

yes the plague (a tissue a tissue they all fall down)

Answer 7

Yes in England the plague killed millions and the first symptoms was a red rash-  ring of roses. Then sneezing

Answer 8

No.

It's an urban legend.

First published version was Kate Greenaway's 1881 mother goose, approx 215 years after the last great plague.

That means it was unwritten for two hundred years, which could happen.

There is some evidence dating it to 1790, but that citation points to an origin in North America, an area which never saw the plague.

Most compelling, however, is the fact that the earliest versions, such as the 1881, are LESS subject to the plague interpretation.  Here's the 1881 version:

ring a ring o roses,

a pocket full of posies

hush!  hush!  hush!  hush!

we're all tumbled down

the 1790 version is also less reminiscent of the plague:

ring a ring a rosie

a bottle full of posie

all the girls in our town

ring for little Josie

Also, the Oxford English Dictionary lists no usage of rose or rosie to refer to buboes caused by the plague.

The plague was not attached to this rhyme until fairly recent times.

Answer 9

lol no! what freak told you that? its about kids goin around a bush

Answer 10

Yes. And the "ashes, ashes we all fall down" Is about all the burning bodies with the plauge. The "pockets full of posies" were to make the smell of your rotting flesh less rank.

Answer 11

I have also heard that but snopes is usually right.

Just enjoy it if the kids are enjoying it.

Answer 12

y about the plague, the "posies" supposedly kept the illness at bay, but ppl who had it died "we all fall down"

Answer 13

yeah it's about the bubonic plaugue

Answer 14

I don't know, but how on earth are kids supposed to know that?  It's just a fun game where they get to fall down laughing and singing.  Where is the harm in that?

Answer 15

Yep.

Ring around the Rosy = the ring around the red bump.

Pocket full of posy = the bump was full of puss.

Ashes, ashes we all fall down = the people about to die turn a pale "ash" color and fall down dead.

Nice huh?

please answer my questions:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylc=...

and:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 16

yes

Answer 17

ashes ashes we all fall down: sure sounds like a deisese but i dont know i've heard that it was but preschoolers will never know

Answer 18

No. That is an urban legend.....read about it here on snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/...

Answer 19

i heard it was about the black plague