Hickory, Dickory, Dock: The Meaning Behind a Traditional Nursery Rhyme (2024)

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Hickory, Dickory, Dock: The Meaning Behind a Traditional Nursery Rhyme? ›

It almost certainly refers to the short reign as Lord Protector

Hickory Dickory Dock dates back to the 18^th century and versions can be found in Britain and America. It was probably used as a counting song or to teach time - or perhaps as a way of deciding who would go first like Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo. The rhyme was published in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book in London in 1744.

Ring a Ring o Roses, or Ring Around the Rosie, may be about the 1665 Great Plague of London: the “rosie” being the malodorous rash that developed on the skin of bubonic plague sufferers, the stench of which then needed concealing with a “pocket full of posies”.

The Hickory Dickory Dock song is one of the easiest English nursery rhymes which helps teach little ones how to tell the time. The song dates back to 18th century London and was first recorded by Tommy Thumb in 1744. It's the perfect song to teach your little one how to read and understand the time!

These rhymes seem to have come from a variety of sources, including traditional riddles, proverbs, ballads, lines of Mummers' plays, drinking songs, historical events, and, it has been suggested, ancient pagan rituals.