| A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young
children, and specific actions or dances are often associated with particular
songs. Learning such verse assists in the development of vocabulary, and
several examples deal with rudimentary counting skills, eg. eenie, meenie,
mynie, mo.
Many cultures (though not all, see below) feature children's songs and
verses that are passed down by oral tradition from one generation to the
next, however the term "nursery rhyme" generally refers to those
of European origin. The best known examples are English and originated
in or since the 17th century. Some however are substantially older, "Baa
Baa Black Sheep" exists in written records as far back the Middle
Ages. Arguably the most famous collection is that of Mother Goose. Some
well known nursery rhymes originated in America, such as "Mary had
a little lamb".
Generally nursery rhymes are innocent doggerel, though some scholars
have attempted to link their meaning to events in European or English
history. Urban legends abound with regard to some of the rhymes, though
most of these have been discredited. Some of the more plausible explanations
indicate that some rhymes may have been contemporary social or political
satire. ("Hey Diddle Diddle" is one example, the "dish"
and "spoon" possibly being nicknames for the figures involved
in a sex scandal in the court of Elizabeth I.)
"Ring-Around-the-Rosie" (alternatively "Ring-a-ring of
Rosies") is popularly believed to be a metaphorical reference to
the Great Plague, although this has been widely discredited, particularly
as none of the "symptoms" described by the poem even remotely
correlate to those of the Bubonic plague, and the first record of the
rhyme's existence was not until 1790.
A credible interpretation of "Pop goes the Weasel" is that
it is about silk weavers taking their shuttle or bobbin (known as a "weasel"),
to a pawnbrokers to obtain money for drinking. It is possible that the
"eagle" mentioned in the song's third verse refers to The Eagle
freehold pub along Shepherdess Walk in London, which was established as
a music hall in 1825 and was rebuilt as a public house in 1901. This public
house bears a plaque with this interpretation of the nursery rhyme and
the pub's history. Alternatively, the term "weasel" might be
Cockney rhyming slang for a coat ("weasel and stoat" = "coat"),
and the coat itself was pawned.
Scholars occasionally think they have "all" nursery rhymes
written down, or know the last time that a rhyme was in use (some fall
out of favor). However, due to the fact that they're mainly an oral tradition,
nursery rhymes will "pop up" anew. See Bill Bryson's book "Made
in America : An Informal History of the English Language in the United
States" for an excellent example.
There are some aboriginal tribes which consider music sacred, so that
only elder men may sing songs, and the songs are taught during sacred
rituals in adulthood. It is forbidden for women or children to sing. Hence,
these cultures don't have these kinds of songs.
List of nursery rhymes
* As I was Going to St Ives
* Baa Baa Black Sheep
* The Banana Song
* Christmas is Coming
* Georgie Porgie
* Hey Diddle Diddle
* Hickory Dickory Dock
* Humpty Dumpty
* Hush Little Baby
* I'm a Little Teapot
* Itsy Bitsy Spider
* Jack and Jill
* Jack Be Nimble
* Jack Sprat
* Ladybird Ladybird
* Little Bo Peep
* Little Boy Blue
* Little Jack Horner
* Little Miss Muffet
* Mary had a little lamb
* Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
* Old King Cole
* Old Mother Hubbard
* Oranges and Lemons
* Pat A Cake, Pat A Cake Bakers Man
* Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
* Pop Goes The Weasel
* Pussy Cat Pussy Cat
* Rain Rain Go Away
* Rub A Dub Dub
* Simple Simon
* Twinkle twinkle little star
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