"Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood."
Published on June 30, 2004 By Sally jacobs In Home & Family
I just had to share this with you, my sister invested in a nursery rhyme tape for my niece, oh the torture of it all. Isn't it time these babies were updated! The worst thing is I've found myself singing them! I find myself singing such treasures as....(Imagine sickly sweet far to happy cheery cheesy voice as you read these)

1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians. 4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians. 7 little, 8 little 9 little Indians. 10 little Indian boys!!!! ( My personal favourite, like what the hell?)


One, two, buckle my shoe,
Three, four, knock at the door,
Five, six, pick up sticks,
Seven, eight, lay them straight,
Nine, ten, a big fat hen,
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve.
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting,
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting,
Nineteen, twenty, my plate’s empty.



Baby, baby, naughty baby,

Hush, you squalling thing, I say.

Peace this moment, peace, or maybe

Bonaparte will pass this way.

Baby, baby, he’s a giant,

Tall and black as Rouen steeple,

And he breakfasts, dines, rely on’t,

Every day on naughty people.

Baby, baby, if he hears you,

As he gallops past the house,

Limb from limb at once he’ll tear you,

Just as pussy tears a mouse.

And he’ll beat you, beat you,beat you,

And he’ll beat you all to pap,

And he’ll eat you, eat you, eat you,

Every morsel snap,snap,snap.




First the farmer sows his seeds

Then he stands and his ease;

Stamps his foot and claps his hands,

And turns him round to view his lands.

I realise these songs are basically teaching you things, in a nice fun far to happy way, but it's torture! There has to be better nursery rhymes out there! Or at least more up update ones! There really does.....or maybe we can make up our own!



Comments
on Jul 01, 2004
Thanks for the comment hon!! I'm sooo excited about seeing my dad, but I thought I should probably shut up by that time, because i'd gone off on quite a rambling...I think Dave'll be good, I'm gonna get him drunk heheh...I think it is a bit boring to know everything about ur future, im like u, i don't like to be tied down either! But there is something reassuring about knowing too.

So you're going to college? What to study??Hows u been anyway?sorry haven't had a chance to catch up, but this week has a been a little crazy!!

Loved the nursery rhymes, though they are a real pain in the ass after you've heard them more than once...I always remember in grade school everyone would make up different (and much nastier) words..i'll try and remember some for you!!

Chat soon sweedie, hope ur good, love Dyl xxx (sorry about England!!!!;-( )
on Jul 01, 2004
Thanks for what you said on my post, sally, it was really sweet of you. Your nursery rhymes made me smile! It just seems weird to have everything pass me by but not be able to fix anything or have any control over the situation.

-Scarlett x
on Jul 01, 2004
I can all too well relate myself. I'm currently living with a married couple who have a 1 1/2 year old. The kid is absolutely a darling.. but OMG the songs are getting to me something fierce. Not just nursery rymes.. but The Wiggles.. OMG THE WIGGLES..... I have nightmares about fruit salad
on Jul 01, 2004
I have never heard that one about Napoleon.
I absolutely refuse to sing Rock - a - bye Baby.

Elana's favourites are twinkle twinkle, the lullaby from Dumbo, Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes (bellybuttons), There's a house with a wall, we're going up, anything by hi-5 feel the spirit (it's an ad for an all girls school in Brisbane) and The Ning Nang Nong. Plus the songs she makes up herself while singing along to the radio.
on Jul 01, 2004
Yeah, "rockabye baby" seems a tad cruel...I wouldn't want to fall out of a tree, personally (certainly wouldn't help get me to sleep, that's for sure).
on Jul 02, 2004
OMG the songs are getting to me something fierce. Not just nursery rymes.. but The Wiggles.. OMG THE WIGGLES..... I have nightmares about fruit salad


...it's allthe sickly to nice of it all that drives me crazy, surely it's not normal to be that happy all of the time!

Plus the songs she makes up herself while singing along to the radio.


Me and my sister put this nursery rhyme tape on for maddy mae and she sits in the car and stares at us blankly while we sing along like fools, we put the radio on and she's as happy as larry! Smiles all round. Mads favourite is Knick Knack paddy wack, she goes to sleep to that, awww!

Yeah, "rockabye baby" seems a tad cruel...I wouldn't want to fall out of a tree, personally


I never understood that song, what is the point? I can't say I'd find it to comforting either.....

on Jul 02, 2004
I'm glad to see nursery rhymes still being taught. People need some common points of reference to latch onto.

I never understood that song, what is the point? I can't say I'd find it to comforting either.....


According to All Info About Nursery Rhymes, Rock-A-Bye-Baby means:

This very popular rhyme probably originates from the days when women working in the hop fields, would tie their babies cradles to the branches of trees to allow the wind to rock them to sleep.

Another possibility is that a Pilgrim youth, a passenger on the Mayflower, wrote the rhyme after seeing the way Native American women rocked their babies in birchbark cradles.


I don't know how accurate that might be, though, since their explanation for "Ring Around the Rosies" (while common) has been debunked.

Yeah, "rockabye baby" seems a tad cruel...I wouldn't want to fall out of a tree, personally (certainly wouldn't help get me to sleep, that's for sure).


Yes, Gideon, I'll give you props for the humour. (SIGH)
on Jul 02, 2004
Thanks Smartaz, I throughly agree that nursery rhymes should be taught, though they do get slightly tedious!

I don't know how accurate that might be, though, since their explanation for "Ring Around the Rosies" (while common) has been debunked.


...Thanks for taking the time to look it up, it sounds pretty accurate!
on Jul 20, 2004
updated nursery rhyme:

1, 2, what's up with you,
3, 4, laugh at the poor,
5, 6, call people dicks,
7, 8, homophobics are straight,
9, 10, Barbie hates Ken,
11, 12, I hate myself,
13, 14, teens need aborting,
15, 16, all girls are vixens,
17, 18, boys are rapists-in-waiting,
19, 20, lawsuits a-plenty.