After first discovering the secret life (meaning) of nursery rhymes I am like an addict,I just keep going back to see what evil lurks with the innocence. Some are a bit morbid without knowing the stories behind them,for instance Three Blind Mice. Today I want to present one I wasn't familiar with from childhood,but once you hear its origins I am willing to bet you will not be saying you have goose bumps again!
Goosey Goosey Gander,whether shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs and in my Lady's chamber.
There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg and threw him down the stairs.
In 16th century Europe people were busy fighting off the plague or killing off Catholics. Protestants were given a reward for executing Catholic priests. A popular method of execution was tying his legs and throwing him down a flight of stairs. You are no doubt mentally asking yourself what Goosey Goosey Gander has to do with this? Goose was an old slang term for "lady of the night". The goose bumps I promised at the start...were slang for the red bumps caused by venereal diseases. It kind of makes me wonder what my mother really meant when she called me a "silly goose".
Goosey Goosey Gander,whether shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs and in my Lady's chamber.
There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg and threw him down the stairs.
In 16th century Europe people were busy fighting off the plague or killing off Catholics. Protestants were given a reward for executing Catholic priests. A popular method of execution was tying his legs and throwing him down a flight of stairs. You are no doubt mentally asking yourself what Goosey Goosey Gander has to do with this? Goose was an old slang term for "lady of the night". The goose bumps I promised at the start...were slang for the red bumps caused by venereal diseases. It kind of makes me wonder what my mother really meant when she called me a "silly goose".
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