Gran's nursery rhymes...

It’s funny the things that you learn at your Grandmother’s knee; old sayings, cures for warts, recipes for disaster and rice pudding, curses and love charms. I used to love the songs and rhymes she would sing. Songs from the music hall about Kelly (k-e-double l-y), Burlington Burty, The Boy She Loved, and more nursery rhymes than you could shake a stick at. 

My Gran knew more nursery rhymes than anybody I’ve ever known.  Here comes the galloping Major - The dog is in the oven - Little Tessa chopsticks - Billy get your Daddy's axe... Yes, I loved the nursery my Gran used to sing to me.

It’s only as I’ve grown older that I’ve thought about those rhymes a little more deeply and recognised just how disturbing and macabre some of them were. Oh, she sang the Jack and Jill’s and Humpty Dumpty’s, but she also sang some rhymes that I think wouldn’t go down very well in today’s world.

Sometimes I wonder if she might have made them up herself. Well, somebody must have made each of them up once. Here’s one she used to sing to the tune of Polly Put The Kettle On. It’s called Billy Get Your Daddy’s Axe.

Billy get your daddy's axe.

Billy get your daddy's axe.

Billy get your daddy's axe.

Your sister's up the tree.

Sammy fetch the cooking pot.

Sammy fetch the cooking pot.

Sammy fetch the cooking pot.

We'll have her for our tea.

Chip chop, chip, chop.

Chop her down and never stop.

Throw her in the cooking pot.

We'll have a bonny supper.