"Rock-A-Bye Baby"
"Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetops,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all."
There are several supposed origins to this story, but what it is clear is that when a young pilgrim sailed to America, he observed the Native American women rocking their babies in birch-bark cradles, often suspended from trees. The breeze through the branches would rock the baby to sleep. The branches holding the cradle, however, were often susceptible to breakage, causing the cradle to fall and injure the baby. This particular nursery rhyme, however, is rumored to have been written after a terrible accident involving the Earl of Sandwich's son. The baby was supposedly tossed without warning from his cradle. The cradle was later found in the Thames river, empty.
"All the Pretty Little Horses"
"Hush-a-bye, Don't you cry
Go to sleep my little ba-by;
When you wake,you shall have,all the pretty little horses.
Dapples and Greys, Pintos and Bays, Coach and six little horses....
Way down yonder in the meadow
poor little baby cries mama
birds and butterflies flutter 'round his eyes
poor little baby cries mama
Hush-a-bye..."
This is a lullaby that also has disturbing origins, but of a different sort. It was originally written by an African American slave and sung to her master's child. Because of her preoccupation with the care of her master's child, she was forced to neglect her own child. In the second verse, the slave refers to her own child, alone and unable to care for himself. Originally, the lyrics read, "Birds and butterflies, peck at his eyes," but was later changed to make the lullaby less violent.
"Three Blind Mice"
"Three blind mice. Three blind mice.
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife
She cut off their tails with a carving knife.
Did you ever see such a thing in your life
As three blind mice."
There is a strong theory that suggests that this nursery rhyme refers to the blinding and execution of three protestant bishops by Queen Mary I of England. The earlier lyrics, which include the phrase, "she scrapte her tripe licke thou the knife," implies that the old farmer's wife tasted the blood of the mice, just as the Queen tasted the blood of her slain adversaries, the bishops.
"Ten Little Indians"
Other than being racist, it's difficult to see much wrong with this song. With it's simplistic lyrics, it's hard to draw any disturbing information. It's origins, however, as well as the song it originated from, speak otherwise. This is the song we are all familiar with, or a slight variation of it:
"One little, two little, three little Indians. Four little, five little, six little Indians. Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians. Ten little Indian boys. Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians. Seven little, six little, five little Indians. Four little, three little, two little Indians. One little Indian boy."
This, however, is an extremely modified version of the original song by Septimus Winner, written in the 1860s. It was originally titled, "Ten Little Injuns" and goes like this:
"Ten little Injuns standin' in a line,
One toddled home and then there were nine;
Nine little Injuns swingin' on a gate, One tumbled off and then there were eight.
One little, two little, three little, four little, five little Injun boys,
Six little, seven little, eight little, nine little, ten little Injun boys.
Eight little Injuns gayest under heav'n. One went to sleep and then there were seven;
Seven little Injuns cuttin' up their tricks, One broke his neck and then there were six.
Six little Injuns all alive, One kicked the bucket and then there were five;
Five little Injuns on a cellar door, One tumbled in and then there were four.
Four little Injuns up on a spree, One got fuddled and then there were three;
Three little Injuns out on a canoe, One tumbled overboard and then there were two.
Two little Injuns foolin' with a gun, One shot t'other and then there was one;
One little Injun livin' all alone, He got married and then there were none."
This rhyme is also notable for inspiring Agatha Christie's novel, And Then There Were None. In the novel, the rhyme changes once again, into an even more disturbing version:
"Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
