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A pocket full of posies, A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down.
Whenever children join hands in a circle, they sing this song of posies. The origin of this rose-colored ditty is something far more sinister — the Great Plague that swept through Europe in the 1600s. A rosy rash is the first symptom of the plague. The posies are herbs and spices carried to sweeten the air. The “a-tishoo” sneezing is another fatal symptom. (Later versions replace the sneezing with “ashes” from the cleansing bonfires.) When children fall down on the last line of this rhyme, they are unknowingly acting out their ancestors’ disease. |
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 On January 13, 1998, Drew Janssen wrote: As for the Ring Around the Rosy rhyme, there was a comment from a medical doctor about the “ashes, ashes” line — one you probably won’t want to include on your site. :-) In the final stages of the plague, just prior to death, the aviolae sacs in the lungs rupture and the lungs begin to be coated with blood, which then clots and dries. Right before the poor victim expires, they will often have a prolonged coughing fit during which they (hang onto your lunch here)... cough up flecks and particles of the dried “black”-appearing blood from their lungs. This was given the name “ashes” by the doctors of the time, who had no idea of how the lungs worked and no way to analyze the “ashes” that seemed to spew from the dying patients' mouths and define them as a blood product. But I recommend you stick to what’s one your page, since the more “correct” interpretation is beyond most people’s capacity. Sneezing, BTW, came mostly from (1) the nasty smell of death that hung like a cloud over London at the time and (2) the poorly ventilated homes of the sick, heated by coal fires. It’s not a primary symptom (although it can occur).
On January 3, 1999, Scott Jamieson wrote: During the time of the Plague, people in mourning would smear their faces with ashes (a remnant of this practice survives with Ash Wednesday). I have heard the line about ashes refers to this.
On April 24, 1999, Sumo Assault wrote: I heard that ring around the rosy was about the black death of 1347. Since the dead bodies were so infectious they had to burn them so therefore “ashes ashes” meant that they were burning the bodies.
On June 26, 2000, Mark Blomberg wrote: On you commentary pertaining to Ring Around the Rosies, you state that:
On July 20, 2000, IamCOJO wrote: In regards to the line “a pocket full of posies”, I recall reading somewhere that at the time, doctors had no idea that the plague was being spread through the rampant infected rat population. They assumed that the plague was airborne. To combat this they wore masks with large snouts, stuffed with herbs, potpurrie, crushed posies and such as a makeshift resperators. Not only to lessen the stench of the dead, but also to protect themselves (or so they thought) from contracting the illness while examining patients. It would be understandable to keep a pocket full of posies as a reserve, to refresh your mask when needed.
On September 7, 2000, Mika W wrote: Now COJO, the doctors of the time had no knowledge of airborne diseases spread by bacteria or viruses. The reason they used these masks (filled with herbs and flowers pedals etc.) was because the doctors diagnosed the plague to be spreading through the foul odor surrounding the dead and dying. The masks idea was to prevent breathing these bad odors and instead to refreshen the air and thus make it sterile, free of the plague. As we now know smells rarely infect people.
On March 19, 2001, Domini Walton wrote: Hi there! Ring a ring a rosie Or another version he finds: Round the ring of roses Perhaps the stooping later became the falling down of the rhyme we know today? Foreign and 19th century versions of the rhyme indicate that it was a singing game played by children whereby the “all fall down” was actually a curtsey or bow, and a second verse then commands the players to get up again: The cows are in the meadow It seems that the plague origins are in fact a Victorian romantic idea of what the rhyme *should* mean, especially as there is no reference to the so-called plague symptoms in the earliest versions. Thanks again for the site!
On February 22, 2001, Kacie wrote: I just finished reading about the ryhpms, they scared me half to death.I don’t know why but the Ring around the rosies was the most terrifying. I still like this site even thought I’m scared half to death of singing that song now. Keep up the good work.
On April 7, 2001, Kevin Zangarine wrote: A second verse sung by preschoolers today goes:
On January 18, 2002, Erica Stratton wrote: When I was a young girl I remember learning the rhyme very well, but with one discrepancy. Instead of a-tishoo a-tishoo I learned the rhyme with “upstairs downstairs, we all fall down!”. Later I was told that “upstairs, downstairs” was a reference to the fact that people of all social classes were affected; not just the lower. Yet this is not the only version that I recited as a child. I was also taught the “ashes, ashes” version. Either way, ever since I learned the origins of the rhyme I get cold chills just thinking of it.
On March 6, 2002, Alimanmar wrote: I seem to remember reading in a school history book about a village that cut its self off in order not to spread the plague. Could the ringer symbolize cutting off the town and putting up boundries which people could not pass over?
On April 12, 2002, A. Lineberger wrote: My 4 year old daughter was singing “Ring Around the Rosies” recently in public when a woman started singing it with her, only the woman sang a different version than I have seen on this site. Her version was “Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, red bird, blue bird, black bird, squat”. I had never heard this version and would be interested to know if anyone else has a theory on this! Thanks
On June 23, 2002, Helen Lehmann wrote: Have you ever heard “Ring o ring o roses(rosies)” as the first line? That was one version I heard as a child. Perhaps, if correct, it referred simply to a group of flowers around a coffin or grave.
On June 25, 2002, mia and yaz luna wrote: i read ur info. on ring around the rosies, but to that story i have to add that there was a pied piper who played his pipes to evacuate the rats out of the town. except he was never paid for this, so he played the pipes to evacuate the children out of the town and take them to a river to drown the children. but what the towns people didnt know, was that the man had murdered some of his own children. what i cant believe is how such an innocent song can have a horrifying past.
On July 18, 2002, Linda wrote: A comment on the commentary below (highlighted in bold):
On August 19, 2002, Lady OpalCat wrote: Please read http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm for a detailed explanation of why the rhyme is *not* about the plague.
On September 7, 2002, Carl Horner wrote: While caused by the same disease vector, in winter the bubonic plague gave way to the pneumonic plague which affected the lungs rather than the groin and under arm glands. The black buboes or swellings did not appear, but the victim started coughing and sneezing and quickly succumbed to the infection. During the 2 to 3 days course of this invariably fatal variant of the disease the lung damage would give rise to blood appearing in the sputum. A hefty cough or sneeze would project this roseate sputum as a spray leaving a well defined “ring of rosies”on any light coloured surface within range. Carl Horner BA PGCE PS I understand the last rats confirmed to be hosts of the bubonic carrying fleas in Britain were exterminated near Woodbridge in Suffolk as recently as the early 1960s.
On December 5, 2002, Sior Coleman wrote: Delighted by the correspondence on this rhyme. One writer asked about the plague village — it’s Eyam in Derbyshire, England.
On March 10, 2003, JohnVee wrote: Also heard a second verse:
On September 29, 2003, Alaric wrote: ...the “pocketful of posies” line and Mika W.’s explanation of it (on 7 Sep. '00) is reasonable, somewhat true, but incomplete; it wasn’t doctors who wore these grotesque (and often decorated) masks... the doctors merely devised the theory of ‘miasma’, or tainted exhalations, to explain what they couldn’t understand. It was the ones combing the plague-ridden districts collecting the dead and enforcing the quarantine who wore the masks and kept “pocketfuls of posies”, on advice from the physicians...
On December 15, 2004, John Nelson wrote: I came looking for the “Ring around the Rosies” rhyme, but stayed to read everything — fascinating. Even more fascinating are the many letters that present the “correct” and definitive explanation for the various rhymes. Perhaps this mindset (I have known this to be true for 20 years, therefore it is true.) is he answer to the age old question “Why can’t we just all get along.”
On July 14, 2005, Torey Kauth wrote: You should probably update the 'ring around the rosies' page since the plague connection is not true. You're just pushing forward an untrue myth. Read the facts at www.snopes.com or en.wikipedia.org. At either site just do a search.
On May 19, 2006, Kaye McAlpine wrote: I'm not sure if you're the right contact still, or indeed, if you are still accepting posts, but here goes! Can we not take as read any one nation's interpretation of orally-disseminated rhymes, especially countries where the people who settled may have lost local identity due to transportation, emigration etc. US-based versions are often different from European versions, as the social history and backgrounds to the songs, rhymes etc are gradually lost when individuals are in a different environment. Rhymes handed down take on different meanings or lose their original meaning. For example, 'The Gypsy Laddies' is a long-established ballad. It tells of a lady eloping / being abducted by gypsies. Her husband follws and confronts her. The gypsies are hanged. This ballad was recorded throughout Scotland, Ireland and England. There are historic references to Cassillis and Faw in many versions, names of individuals and families who could have been connected (proven historically not anecdotally). It was a ciminal offence to just be a gypsy in Scotland from around 1541. Thus the hanging reference makes sense. Most US versions make no mention of the gypsies being hanged in US versions; indeed in some, the whole notion of a lady being abducted / eloping with a gypsy boy is so misunderstood that she suns of with another girl. So, things change. Other events are overlayered. And with those who propose that, for example, Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses never had any connection with plague, think on. Willie Telfer o the Fair Dodheid was recorded in the 1800s in the Scottish Borders. It recalls events from 200-300 years previously. No music was recorded for it until the 1940s. A similar progression lies with the ballad King Orfeo. Oral tradition is a fickle things to grasp in these literate days. In the past it has relied on individuals who thought well enough of a piece to write it down. They didn't always do that with those songs, rhymes etc they felt were common-place. We may be left with a line here, a title there. There is more detective work to be done before any reference to any rhyme is dismissed out of hand. What perhaps is important is, for example, the fact that people are reminded of their ancestors lives — and perhaps deaths — through rhymes such as Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses and The Grand Old Duke of York. For my part, I'm ruling nothing out. Has anyone ever analysed the associated music? Like the site! Kaye
On February 12, 2007, Naomi wrote: My family sings a second verse: Amazing how there are so many different versions, isn't it? By the way, your site is really cool.
On December 26, 2007, Jared Conlin wrote: Your info on the 'Ring Around the Rosie' is wrong please follow link for some real info. Thanks
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