So there I was, humming a lullaby to myself. Perhaps one of the most famous known in the English language. You all know how it goes.
- Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop,
- When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
- When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
- And down will come baby, cradle and all.
I started to wonder how this disturbing little ditty (that wormed its way into the hearts of so many [loving?] parents) came to be. Ah, trusty Wikipedia. Enjoy these excerpts:
The nursery rhyme suggests a falling, apparently related to a terrible accident in 1706 where the Earl of Sandwich's son was tossed without warning from his cradle. The cradle was later found in the Thames River empty and alone.Don't like that explanation? Too depressing? Try this one on for size:
Yet another theory has it that the song... refers to events immediately preceding the Glorious Revolution. The baby is supposed to be the son of King James II of England, who was widely believed to be someone else's child smuggled into the birthing room in order to provide a Catholic heir for James. The "wind" may be that political "wind" or force "blowing" or coming from the Netherlands bringing James' nephew and son-in-law, William III of England, a.k.a. William of Orange, who would eventually depose King James II in the revolution. The "cradle" is the House of Stuart Stuart monarchy.Um... boooringgg. and kooky. I prefer the drowning baby.
1 comment:
I love how Wikipedia says, "the cradle was later found empty and alone."
'empty' wasn't enough.
nor was it sufficient to simply say, "the baby died."
'empty and ALONE.'
the baby died alone.
Dr. House said something like, "every animal dies alone." That's usually right after "everybody lies."
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