Creepy Children's Rhymes/Poems?

It was written about John Dalton, the "father" of the atomic theory. He had a stroke late in life and was left immobilized. He fell from his bed one night and hit his head and was found dead in the morning. Creepy, I know.

Ring Around the Rosy, I've always heard, was about the Bubonic Plague.

Creepy Rhymes Poems

Mother Goose, Grimms Fairy tales...a lot of nursery rhymes and stories have a basis on what was happening in that part of the world at that time. Whether it was plague, typhoid, the tooth fairy, etc. If you dig, you'll find they all have a sort of macabre beginning.

Despite popular belief, ring around the rosy is NOT about the plague.

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp

One that really creeps me out is the Pied Piper Of Hamelin. It's said to be based off of a serial killer who murdered children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Piper

ring around the Rose is a morbid song. a pocket full of poses is to hide the smell of human flesh burning.ashes ashes all fall down is when the body is done it might fall.this is after a group gathering back in the day.. sad isn't it.

There was a lass caught a Pooka

Into the sea he tooka.

When they surfaced again.

She was drowned to the skin.

Twasn't the lass that caught the Pooka.

I don't have any more specific examples, but a lot of them are kind of wrong. Alluding to death or pain.

Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey..."

come on, the girl just wanted to eat her cottage cheese and a huge spider comes down on her! EWWWW!!!!

Most "Mother Goose" poems have hidden meanings. Most of them were allusions to royalty and the conditions of the day. This website gives you the whole story....

what about 3 blind mice

or rock a bye baby----i mean the baby is in a tree