On the surface, these popular nursery rhymes may seem lighthearted, but their origin stories might be far darker than you ever imagined. There are certain rhymes that follow us from childhood. Tunes ...

Most people who recite nursery rhymes to children aren't thinking about the politics, plagues, or executions that may have ...

Chances are that when you were a kid, your parents sang you nursery rhymes to get you to sleep. And if that was the case, it is very likely they sang old nursery rhymes that were passed on from ...

We all have countless childhood songs ingrained in our minds, but have you ever wondered where these nursery rhymes began and what exactly they mean? The answer is probably no since most of us have ...

We often think of nursery rhymes as comforting, soothing, or playful. But many of the most well-known children’s songs we grew up hearing actually have creepy backstories and dark origins. The lyrics ...

Many of us can probably recite, “Pop! Goes The Weasel” by heart. Passed down across the centuries, the anachronisms in the lyrics sound like playful nonsense words. In truth, this and other rhymes ...

They seem innocent enough, but Jack and Jill may have become amorous as they climbed that hill for a pail of water. And instead of a water bird, “Goosey, goosey gander” may refer to a woman of ill ...

Whether using your fingers or your toes, the cute little song is sung to us early on as cooing parents bond with their newborns. Your pinky becomes a protagonist. Your index and ring fingers become ...

THE OXFORD NURSERY RHYME BOOK (224 pp.)—assembled by Iona and Peter Opie—Oxford ($4.50). When asked how her garden grew, Mary did not always give the same answer. At least once she replied: “With ...