Disturbing Nursery Rhymes

Ring around the rosy
A pocketful of posies
“Ashes, Ashes”
We all fall down!

This poem refers to the Black Plague, aka Bubonic Plague, that spread across England in the mid 1600′s.

One of the symptoms of having the plague was a rosy, red ring-shaped rash around the mouth and the disease had such an awful odor, people carried pockets full of fresh herbs or “posies” to cover the smell.

The last line of the rhyme has two possible stories behind it. Some say it refers to the cremation of the dead bodies and others say that it refers to another symptom of the plague which was violent sneezing.

The plague ended in 1666 when the Great Fire of London happened. The rats that carried the disease (which the disease contaminated the water) were destroyed in the fire.

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row.

Mary Tudor’s aka “Bloody Mary,” reign of terror, led many Protestants to fear for their lives. A devout Catholic, Mary demanded the torture or execution of countless people.

The lyrics’ “silver bells” refer to thumbscrews that would crush the thumbs, and the “cockle shells” refer to torture devices that fastened to the genitals.

And let us not forget about the “maids” which refer to a contraption that would behead, also called the “Maiden.” This device came before the invention of the guillotine.