Nursery Rhymes..............

[HURLOCK]

Always remember this one, naturally didn't understand it's connection to war of the roses when 8 belting this out at the top of my voice with the rest of the class

The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only halfway up
They were neither up nor down.

[Neko Bazu]

My favourite was Three Little Kittens - which, I think, is one of the few that don't have some sort of nasty history to them!

Three little kittens, they lost their mittens, and they began to cry
"Oh mother dear, we sadly fear that we have lost our mittens."
"What! Lost your mittens? You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie."
"Meeow, meeow, meeow, meeow, now we shall have no pie."

The three little kittens, they found their mittens, and they began to cry
"Oh mother dear, see here, see here, for we have found our mittens."
"Put on your mittens, you silly kittens
And you shall have some pie"
"Meeow, meeow, meeow, meeow, now let us have some pie."

The three little kittens put on their mittens, and soon ate up the pie,
"Oh mother dear, we greatly fear that we have soiled our mittens."
"What! Soiled you mittens? You naughty kittens!"
Then they began to cry,
"Meeow, meeow, meeow, meeow"
Then they began to sigh.

The three little kittens they washed their mittens, and hung them out to dry,
"Oh mother dear, do you not hear, that we have washed our mittens."
"What! Washed your mittens? You are good kittens
But I smell a rat close by,"
"Meeow, meeow, meeow, meeow" We smell a rat close by...

A cautionary tale with lyrics especially relevant to a mother and child - losing an article, then finding it and being rewarded! Then making the article dirty and then washing them? The mother cat was right to "smell a rat" and the origins and history for this saying could well be attributed to this particular nursery rhyme!

;D