Nursery Rhymes

Our version of Ring Around the Rosey was a little different, Peter.

Ring Around the Rosey

A pocket full of posies,

Ashes, ashes

We all fall down.

Pop goes the Weasel

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,

That's the way the money goes

Pop goes the Weasel!

These words are derived from Cockney Rhyming slang which originated in London. Cockneys were a close community and had a suspicion of strangers and a dislike of the Police. Cockneys developed a language of their own based roughly on a rhyming slang. To "Pop" is the slang word for "Pawn". Weasel is derived from "weasel and stoat" meaning coat. It was traditional for even poor people to own a suit, which they wore as their 'Sunday Best'. When times were hard they would pawn their suit, or coat,on a Monday and claim it back before Sunday. Hence the term " Pop goes the Weasel"

The Eagle refers to 'The Eagle Tavern' a pub which is located on the corner of City Road and Shepherdess Walk in Hackney, North London.

Jack an Jill went up the hill to have a little fun
Stupid Jill forgot the pill
and now they have a son.

Heres one my pawpaw used to tell me but it made me cry:

Mary had a little lamb
Her daddy shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her,
A tween to hunks of bread.

This be fun!

Mary had a little pig,
She kept it fat and plastered;
And when the price of pork whet up,
She shot the little b******.  

Diana says I cain't spell out tha last word but I reckon y'all knows what it is!

Jist one more than Isa stop:

Hey Diddle, Diddle the cat took a piddle,
All over the bedside clock.
The little dog laughed to see such fun.
Then died of electric shock.

This seems to have a light American view point of Jack and Jill, perhaps?

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Jill sued Jack and Jack sued back,
The judge is going to fine her;
Now the pail's been sent to jail
For abandoning a minor.

We'll sue Jack and he'll sue Jill,
The hill is suing for scandal;
The water says he'll sue the press –
And everyone's suing the handle.

May had a little lamb

whos foot was black as soot.

and everywhere the lamb did go

His sooty foot he put.

He followed her to school one day

and made the children laugh, 

he put his head between his legs,

and whistled up his---------------Ouch. Who hit me?