Morbid Nursery Rhymes

I bid on this antique children's plate at the auction on Saturday.

The nursery rhyme was new to me and I had to look it up.

Why on earth would anyone fill a child's head with 

killing birds as they ate each meal?  lol....

Well, here's what I found....

It's an English nursery rhyme coming from the story

written in 1508 by John Skelton.  The story is also 

depicted in the stained glass window at Buckland Rectory

in Gloucestershire, showing the poor dead robin with

an arrow in his heart.  (so the poor kids in Gloucestershire

thought of murdered birds while they ate their meals AND

while they were in church? oh my! haha).

Who Killed Cock Robin?

Who killed Cock Robin?

I, said the Sparrow,

with my bow and arrow, 

I killed Cock Robin.

Who saw him die?

I, said the Fly, 

with my little eye,

I saw him die.

Who caught his blood?

I, said the Fish,

with my little dish,

I caught his blood.

Who'll make the shroud?

I, said the Beetle,

with my thread and needle,

I'll make the shroud.

Who'll dig his grave?

I, said the Owl,

with my little trowel,

I'll dig his grave.

Who'll be the parson?

I, said the Rook,

with my little book,

I'll be the parson.

Who'll be the clerk?

I, said the Lark,

if it's not in the dark,

I'll be the clerk.

Who'll carry the link?

I, said the Linnet,

I'll fetch it in a minute,

I'll carry the link.

Who'll be chief mourner?

I, said the Dove,

I mourn for my love,

I'll be chief mourner.

Who'll carry the coffin?

I, said the Kite,

if it's not through the night,

I'll carry the coffin.

Who'll bear the pall?

We, said the Wren,

both the cock and the hen,

We'll bear the pall.

Who'll sing a psalm?

I, said the Thrush,

as she sat on a bush,

I'll sing a psalm.

Who'll toll the bell?

I, said the Bull(finch)

because I can pull,

I'll toll the bell.

All the birds of the air

fell a-sighing and a-sobbing,

when they heard the bell toll

for poor Cock Robin.

There is also an alternate ending in which the sparrow who killed

the cock robin is hanged for his crime.

It occurred to me that this isn't the only morbid nursery rhyme.    

 What about Humpty Dumpty?  Poor thing cracked to

pieces without any hope of being repaired.  Jack and Jill with

Jack's poor head cracked open.  Even Found A Peanut with a

sick stomachs.  haha!  What on earth!?  And the clincher for me 

is a prayer I was taught to say as a child, "Now I lay me down

to sleep......if I should die before I wake...."  Seriously?

Who fills a child's head with the idea that they may die when they

  fall asleep?  It's a wonder any child ever fell asleep at all!

We sang Alouette in music class in school but were never taught the

 translation, which talks about plucking the head off of a lark!

Three Blind Mice, Peter Pumpkin Eater, London Bridge,

Rock-a-bye Baby.  No wonder we all have issues today! ha.

Maybe Mother Goose was really a sick witch.

I think we should stick to Mary Had A Little Lamb

and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.

♥