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From: "Andrea Vogel" <>
Subject: [HWE] Here We Go 'Round....(was: Mulberry Trees & Silkworms)
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 15:07:12 -0800


Listers --

I agree that the thread on silkworms, mulberry trees, etc.
has been very interesting. There's a lot of fascinating info
out there among subscribers!

At the risk of seriously drifting from the topic of this list,
I just wanted to say that I was reminded of the child's
nursery rhyme about mulberry bushes. You may know
the one I mean --
Here we go 'round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go 'round the mulbery bush
So early in the morning.
(The rhyme goes on to other verses about washing, ironing
and mending clothes, scrubbing floors, sweeping the house,
baking bread and going to church. It finishes up with another
verse about mulberry bushes, identical to the first verse.)

I'm wondering what this little rhyme means. Especially the
part about the mulberry bushes. Like many children's
nursery rhymes, it probably refers to an historical event
(and probably of centuries ago) but what was it? Does
anybody know?

On this topic (historical and "hidden" meanings of
nursery rhymes), I've found the following site --
http://www.sca.org.au/bacchus_wood/origins_of_nursery_rhymes.html
(Origins of Nursery Rhymes). Unfortunately, it doesn't
mention Mulberry Bush but it does include many other rhymes
and their meanings. On this subject, it states --
"Nursery rhymes where not originally written for the purpose
of teaching or entertaining children. They were used to satirise
the famous and 'noble'.......A bard dare not openly and
obviously satirise his King and Queen, as this would lead to
certain imprisonment and probably death. So to avoid this,
they wrote rhymes to tell the tales and used 'nicknames' for
the characters they were portraying. Due to the ambiguous
nature of these rhymes......(they) could plausibly refer to
many figures throughout history......(and) their origins may
never be known as some were not put to paper till long after
their creation."

If you visit the above site, you'll find historical explanations
for the rhymes about Humpty Dumpty, Dr. Foster who went to
Gloucester, Georgie Porgy, Jack and Jill, the King of
Spain's daughter (and the little nut tree) and why "London
Bridge is falling down". There's also Jack Sprat, Jack Horner
and Mary Mary Quite Contrary. The latter is said to refer to
Mary, Queen of Scots, 'the Catholic monarch whose loose
lifestyle angered her Protestant ministers.'
Remember Little Miss Muffet? She was apparently a little
16th century girl named Patience Muffet whose father,
Dr. Thomas Muffet, an entomologist, wrote something
called 'The Silkwormes and their flies'. But Miss
Muffet was apparently not as fond of bugs as her
father was, hence her reaction to the spider.
Then there's The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
and the Three Blind Mice......But I'm still wondering
about those mulberry bushes.....
Apologies for the digression. I had fun with it. Hope
you did too. Andrea






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