Nursery rhymes and their meanings continued ..

_Elsa_

JACK AND JILL

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.

Meaning - The roots of this poem are so dark that they should not be allowed anywhere near children. Jack and Jill are actually France’s Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were convicted of treason during the French Revolution, otherwise known as the Reign of Terror, and beheaded. Jack or Louis XVI, lost his “crown,” i.e. his throne and his head. And Jill, or Marie Antoinette's head soon came tumbling after. 

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD

Old Mother Hubbard

Went to the cupboard

To get her poor doggie a bone,

When she got there

The cupboard was bare

So the poor little doggie had none.

Meaning - Old Mother Hubbard isn't even a woman if the theories are to be believed. Old Mother Hubbard is actually Cardinal Wolsey, from 16th century England. Once a very powerful member of the clergy, he found himself in Henry VIII's bad books because he was unable to get him the divorce from Katherine that he so badly wanted. So King Henry is the “doggie”, and the divorce is the “bone.” The “cupboard” is the Catholic Church, which straight up refused Henry his divorce, resulting in England's separation from the Church. 

GEORGIE PORGIE PUDDING AND PIE

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry

When the boys came out to play,

Georgie Porgie ran away.

Meaning - Georgie Porgie refers to English courtier George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who was rumoured to be King James I's lover. While there is no proof of this relationship, it was evident that King James was very fond of Villiers, who was given a lot of money and titles. Villiers' good looks are very well documented though, along with his love for women. It is said that Villiers earned the wrath of several husbands whose wives he had sex with, who did not always consent to it. We get why the girls cried, and why Georgie Porgie ran away when the “boys came out to play.” (Source) 

Let’s continue - More nursery rhymes and their meanings 

Start at the beginning – The story of Mother Goose