Nursery Rhymes -- Are they really meant for children?

Nursery Rhymes and Children

Will you be able to tell nursery rhymes to your children after reading this? 
I bet not. These nursery rhymes are defiantly not G rated! You might as well be reading them a story about Goblins, Ghosts or Ghouls.


                           1. Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

                                Mary Mary quite contrary,

                                How does your garden grow?
                                With silver bells and cockleshells 

                                And pretty maids all in a row. 


                          What do you think this rhyme means?

Personally, I thought it meant something along the lines of a sweet old lady named Mary who loved gardening with silver bells, cocklshells and maids being flowers. We all have learned as children that it means cute and happy things BUT the real meaning is hidden within the words.

                           What does it really mean?

This rhyme is a reference to Bloody Mary. The garden refers to growing cemeteries, as she filled them with Protestants. Silver bells and cockle shells were instruments of torture and the maiden was a device used to behead people.

 
      2.  It's Raining, It's Pouring 

                                    
                                          It's raining, it's pouring
                                         The old man is snoring
                                         He went to bed and 
                                         He bumped his head
                                         And couldn't get up 
                                         in the morning  

What do you think this rhyme means?

From what I read, I think it means something like this, it's raining and an old man is sleeping in his rocking chair. He woke up and was still groggy as he went to his bed. As he climbed in bed he hit his head and went into a coma. [I couldn't find the meaning behind this one but it's still gruesome.]

       3. Ring Around The Rosy -

                                           Ring around the rosy
                                           A pocketful of posies
                                           Ashes, Ashes"
                                          We all fall down!

What do you think this rhyme means?
 I believed it was a cute rhyme about holding hands and dancing in circles around the rosy bush then we fall on our butts and laugh.


What does it really mean?

The Great Plague of 1665. The plague caused a high fever and a rash in the form of a ring hence the name, Ring Around A Rosy. Putting herbs and spices in the pocket of an ailing person in an attempt to freshen up the stale air was a common practice since they believed that the plague was contracted through smell, thus the “pocket full of posies”. “Ashes, Ashes” is an American variation of the English version which is “A-tishoo, A-tishoo” or someone sneezing. Plague sufferers had a fit of sneezing before they passed away or when “we all fall down”

References used

http://brainz.org/24-terrifying-thoughtful-and
-absurd-nursery-rhymes-children/

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/hidden_history_of_nursery_rhymes/