"Ring Around the Rosy," a common childhood song and dance, is really about one of the deadliest epidemics in all of history, the Bubonic Plague. It claimed millions of victims.
The opening words, "Ring around the rosy," represent the skin lesion associated with the disease that appears as a bright red, or rosy, ulcerated spot surrounded by a ring.
The next line, "Pocket full of posies," has superstitious origins. Physicians used to carry scented herbs and flowers, usually posies, in front of their noses in an attempt to ward off the plague. Traditional 17th century London physicians wore long robes and a long beaked mask with posies stuffed inside.
The final verse, "Ashes, ashes, we all fall down," symbolizes death by the plague. Can we say depressing?!!
Another one my Dad taught me when I was little and I loved it because I was speaking French. I had no idea it was about pulling off a innocent birds beak.
Alouette, gentille Alouette (French)
Skylark, nice skylark (English)
Alouette, je te plumerai
Skylark, I shall pluck you
Je te plumerai la tête
I shall pluck your head
(Je te plumerai la tête)
(I shall pluck your head)
Et la tête
And your head
(Et la tête)
(And your head)
Alouette
Skylark
(Alouette)
(Skylark)
O-o-o-oh Poor lil' guy! What did he ever do to you?
And then of course there is Rock A Bye Baby
Rock-a-bye, baby
In the treetop
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall
And down will come baby
Cradle and all
Duh! First of all. Who puts their baby in a cradle and then puts them in a tree..the TOP of a tree? A crazy ass psycho? And in a storm? Then this poor little baby minding his own business playing with a rattle comes crashing down to the ground. How violent. I am changing the song. It ends up that it lands on a soft white bouncy cloud of hugs and kisses and love. The end.
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