Nursery rhymes and politics

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Did you know that almost all of the nursery rhymes learned by English speaking children were once really political statements? People who wanted to pan the royals without losing their heads would disquise the complaints in a silly rhyme. For instance: "Mary, Mary, quite contrary; how does your garden grow? With silver bells, cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row." That rhyme was about Mary Tudor, often called "Bloody Mary" for her attempts to restore England to the Catholic Church. The silver bells were church bells, cockleshells were symbols of Catholic travelers on a pilgrimage and pretty maids were nuns! So when you and your children recite nursery rhymes, you are actually reliving old English politics. By the way, I have another version of the above nursery rhyme: "Mary, Mary, quite contrary; how does your garden grow? Silver bells, cockleshells and one darn onion!"