Death by Nursery Rhymes

They say that your childhood years really form the person you are when you grow up. If that's true, there's a potential killer in all of us.

Ever wondered why nursery rhymes are so morbid? Why did Jack, after his romantic walk up the hill to fecth a pail of water, break his head? Why does the bough break so that the cradle, baby and all fall? Why did Humpty Dumpty not just have an ordinary fall, but a "great" one? Why did Little Miss Muppet suffer from arachnophobia? Why were the 3 blind mice blind??

Most nursery rhymes (about half of them) are more than 200 years old and come from Britain with a very interesting history - mainly linked to dark times like the wars in Victorian England and the all consuming plagues.

Humpty Dumpty, commonly drawn up as an egg, was actually a cannon during the English Civil War (1642-49). It was mounted on top of a church wall to defend against the seige that the city of Colchester was under. The church tower was hit by the enemy and the cannon had a "great fall. And all the King's horses and all the King's men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again".

Ring a Ring O'Roses is believed to be a reference to the Great Plague of London. The Ring of Roses was a symptom of the plagues (a round red rash) and the smell from "a pocket full of posies (another flower)" would conceal the smell from the scores of dying victims. The sneezing sound ("atishoo, atishoo") is the sneezing just before the grim reaper strikes. And then "we all fall down".

There are multiple theories on Jack and Jill. One (and the most popular one) is that this originated in France and refers to Louis XVI who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after).

And my favorite one. The 3 blind mice! The "farmer's wife" refers to Queen Mary I, otherwise known as "Bloody Mary" (yep - that's where the drink gets its name). She was the "farmer's wife" because of the massive farming estates that her husband (Philip of Spain) owned. The 3 blind mice were three noblemen who were plotting against the Queen, although she didn't have them dismembered with a "carving knife", but she did have them burnt at the stake. Guess that just didn't fit the rhyme!

The list goes on, but here's a case to bring your kids up to Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg. They might do less damage!