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I thought it would be fitting to talk about the characters who will be mentioned in our upcoming six day series that goes through the day after Christmas. This will be a delightful story called Mother Hubbard’s House Party, where Old Mother Hubbard invites ten children–all nursery rhyme characters–to visit for Christmas week.
You may or may not already know that I have a super love of nursery rhymes, so this little story by Beryl Heflin Lightfoot is special to me. It is especially special, because it is a Christmas story!
As has been stated before in a previous blog post, my copy is bound in a book that was published in 1917 entitled Twilight Tales for Little Folk. It is a book in Three Parts that has a cute little picture of Jack Horner eating his Christmas pie on it.
I’ll say beforehand, that I have left out any speculation as to any historical link to the rhymes. Many of those are totally made up, and I don’t like throwing in anything that may not have any truth at all to it.
That being said, let’s get right into the characters that are invited to this wonderful house party that Mother Hubbard is throwing. I’ll speak of them in order of name mention.
I was a little confused at first, thinking that Jerry was one of the guests, but apparently he is just a carriage driver, the town bus, as we would put it. He brings the children to the party, and we see him again, as well. More about him later.
Georgie Porgie’s name is mentioned first. Of course, we all know this one!
Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play
Georgie Porgie ran away.
Interestingly, in 1927, a singer named Billy Mayerl had a song put out featuring some of the lyrics to the rhyme. You can hear this on the Wikipedia page. It’s definitely worth a listen. It’s very pleasant to hear! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgie_Porgie
Boy Blue is mentioned second. I always think of that Little Audrey cartoon called Goofy Goofy Gander (1950) put out by Noveltoon when I am reminded of this rhyme. It’s such a jazzy tune.
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow,
The cow’s in the corn.
Where is the little boy,
Who looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haystack
Fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No not I,
For if I do,
He’ll surely cry.
I love that third stanza. It’s lesser known, and I just like it! The rhyme dates back to at least 1744, in Tommy Thumb’s Song Book, also the earliest known collection of British nursery rhymes.
Miss Muffet is next, and the first girl mentioned. That poor little girl! The spider scared her, and it probably didn’t even mean to, contrary to some illustrations I have seen. For all she knew, it could have been a kind spider similar to Charlotte, from Charlotte’s Web!
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on her tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey.
There came a big spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Songs for the Nursery (1805) is the first time this poem was in print. This rendition of the poem is in the amazing The Real Mother Goose which has been in print since 1916.
Fourth in the queue is Ten O’Clock Scholar, who is always late for school. He’s a sleepyhead, too, according to this little story.
A diller, a dollar, a ten o’clock scholar!
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o’clock,
But now you come at noon.
This nursery rhyme has always been a bit of a puzzle for me, as the wording is strange. “What makes you come so soon?” is that referring to the noon time or the ten o’clock time? It’s stating that now he comes at noon, so why is it referring back to the ten o’clock, if that’s what it means? Also, did school start later than it does now? I mean, my elementary school started at nine o’clock. Did it typically start at 10 o’clock? Additionally, he must have missed a lot of schoolwork if he arrived two hours late, don’t you think? If you have any info at all about this, don’t hesitate to say so in the comments!
Bo-Peep is the next in line. Her poem is so much longer than the other children’s! Hers is the first in my book called The Real Mother Goose.
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can’t tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For still they all were fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they’d left all their tails behind ’em!
It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray
Unto a meadow hard by—
There she espied their tails, side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.
She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks she raced;
And she tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
That each tail should be properly placed.
What a story! I like that she’s so meticulous and cares enough to make sure that their tales were returned to the correct owners. She’s much more vigilant than Little Boy Blue! (It’s because girls are better.) Wait! Who said that? Anyway, the full poem with all the verses was first recorded in 1810 in a book called The Nursery Parnassus. It was five years earlier that it was recorded on the first, but only the first stanza was included.
Jill, of Jack and Jill fame, is mentioned next. I will forever think of the sweet book called Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott whenever I am reminded of this nursery rhyme. Although it deals with two children who are hurt in the winter by playing winter games, it is an uplifting book and makes you think differently about life. I have a copy, and I feel so fortunate to.
Jack and Jill, went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down, and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Then up Jack got and off did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob
With vinegar and brown paper.
Now, this one is interesting, because it mentions a person named Dame Dob. Who is she? Probably not the town physician, because, sorry to say, traditionally men were doctors. Sorry, Feminists! It’s just true, ok? You can’t change history. You can only change the future.
Little Jumping Joan is mentioned seventh. She’s very simple and sweet.
Here am I, little jumping Joan,
When nobody’s with me
I’m always alone.
There’s really not much about this poem online that I have seen, but it’s very self explanatory. I wonder if she doesn’t feel like a complete person when she is alone? Does she need someone else to feel real? You’re real to me, little Joan!
Jack of the pair of Jack and Jill has already been mentioned here, so unfortunately he will not get a poem of his own in this section. He seems like a smart, hearty boy, though, who will grow up to be a useful man someday. This little story that we are going to serialize states that Jack and Jill are twin brother and sister!
We come to number nine. This is of the little boy who is named Jack Horner. He is such a good boy, but he does like pie, doesn’t he?
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating of Christmas pie:
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy, am I!”
Because of earlier references of this poem, it is suggested that this was already well known by the 18th century. I love that he is included, because he is eating of Christmas pie in his story, and it’s a Christmas story that we will be reading.
Add them up on our fingers, and you will see that we are at number ten. This one is a little odd, because at first only Mary’s lamb is mentioned. Later, Mary pops up, and it must be that Mary is the tenth little guest to be named. I don’t know why they don’t mention her sooner. I guess we are to assume that Mary is there because her lamb is. This poem is interesting in that this is the only nursery rhyme we know the author. Sarah Josepha Hale published this poem in 1830.
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cried.
“Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher then replied.
In addition to the guests that are staying at Mother Hubbard’s house, another nursery rhyme character is mentioned. That is of Mistress McShuttle. I did not recall her, but she has a rhyme all her own. The earliest I have found is in The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (1833) and includes just this rhyme.
Old Mistress Shuttle,
Lived in a coal scuttle,
Along with her dog and her cat;
What they ate I can’t tell,
But ’tis known very well,
That none of the party were fat.
In Mother Goose and What Happened Next (1909) by Anna Marion Smith, a second verse is added:
The longer they staid,
The less they all weighed,
Until, having locked up the door,
They went walking one day,
When they all blew away,
And never were seen anymore.
That last verse is meant to be funny, but it makes me feel kind of sad.
We cannot forget Elsie Marley! There are variations on this rhyme, and there is even a folk song about her in England! It is unclear as to which rhyme the author knew at the time of writing. The common one that is presented is usually the following:
Elsie Marley is so fine,
She won’t get up to feed the swine,
But lies in bed til eight or nine,
Lazy Elsie Marley.
Sometimes the last line reads:
And surely she does take her time.
The folk song lyrics are represented below, but you can also see the original page where I found this, as well as some more information about it here.
Di ye ken Elsie Marley, hinny?
The wife that sells the barley, hinny?
She lost her pocket and all of her money
A back o’ the bush i’ the garden, hinny.
Elsie Marley’s grown so fine
She won’t get up to serve the swine,
But lies in bed till eight or nine,
Di ye ken Elsie Marley, hinny?
Elsie Marley is so neat,
It’s hard for one to walk the street
But every lad and lass ye meet,
Cries “Di ye ken Elsie Marley, hinny?”
Elsie Marley wore a straw hat
But now she’s gotten a velvet cap,
The Lambton lads mun pay for that.
Di ye ken Elsie Marley, hinny?
Now we will speak about Jerry. I did a little digging, and I still am unsure as to who Jerry is. He must be a nursery rhyme character; it would be odd if he wasn’t, since everyone else is. I did not know a nursery rhyme with someone named Jerry in it offhand, and every time I tried to google, only Tom and Jerry came up. (Shocker, I know.) There was just one nursery rhyme with a Jerry in it that I could find, and it was Jerry Hall. I’ve heard of this one, but I’d never have come up with it if I was quizzed on it.
Jerry Hall,
He was so small,
A rat could eat him,
Hat and all.
I’d say this really is a lesser known rhyme… definitely lesser known than the others that are mentioned in this story. It is a Cornish rhyme. I’m still unsure whether this is meant to be the Jerry mentioned, though, because there is nothing in the story to indicate that it is so. If anyone knows anything about this Jerry person, please contact me! 🙂
We must not forget Mother Hubbard, whose poem is the longest of all of them. I bet you didn’t know that it contains at least fourteen stanzas! Here you are, for your curiosity—
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone;
But when she came there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
She went to the baker’s
To buy him some bread;
When she came back
The dog was dead!
She went to the undertaker’s
To buy him a coffin;
When she came back
The dog was laughing.
She took a clean dish
to get him some tripe;
When she came back
He was smoking his pipe.
She went to the alehouse
To get him some beer;
When she came back
The dog sat in a chair.
She went to the tavern
For white wine and red;
When she came back
The dog stood on his head.
She went to the fruiterer’s
To buy him some fruit;
When she came back
He was playing the flute.
She went to the tailor’s
To buy him a coat;
When she came back
He was riding a goat.
She went to the hatter’s
To buy him a hat;
When she came back
He was feeding her cat.
She went to the barber’s
To buy him a wig
When she came back
He was dancing a jig.
She went to the cobbler’s
To buy him some shoes;
When she came back
He was reading the news.
She went to the sempstress
To buy him some linen;
When she came back
The dog was spinning.
She went to the hosier’s
To buy him some hose;
When she came back
He was dressed in his clothes.
The Dame made a curtsy,
The dog made a bow;
The Dame said, Your servant;
The dog said, Bow-wow.
Well, there you have it! Ten little guests, one for each finger and a couple of bonus characters to boot! Come and join in sharing this delightful story, won’t you?
Loved it. very thorough. The one about the 10 O’clock scholar is meant as sarcasm. or in being opposite, since later is referred to as sooner. and of course, 10 O’clock is late for class, noon means the kid is getting more lazy.
Oohhh interesting about the sarcasm. I guess I’m not used to Nursery Rhymes having sarcastic humor! Thanks for the info.
A colorful list of characters, indeed, and a nice write-up about them! One thing I like about nursery rhymes is the delightfully nonsensical humor where everything illogical is logical—kind of an Alice in Wonderland effect. The background information on where these first appeared is interesting, as well. Old Mistress Shuttle is an odd one, that I’ve never run across.The lines don’t seem to have much in the way of a regular meter that I can tell. I like that added verse, though. One little detail I noticed in Old Mother Hubbard: “beer” and “chair” apparently rhymed at that time, which… Read more »
Thanks for your thoughts! I hadn’t exactly pinpointed it before, but you’re right. I’d noticed that Mother Hubbard’s rhyme doesn’t really flow, of course, but you put it perfectly.
I like your input on Ten O’Clock Scholar. I’m seeing it in a whole new way now that I have everyone’s ideas!