Expert: Joseph Logue - 2/24/2004

Question
The song, "Ring around the rosy"--do you know the true history behind it? I thought it dealt with the bubonic plague, but I'm not sure.

Thanks for your expertise!

Answer
Good morning,

I did a little research over here at HQ.  I had heard this story numerous times but never got around to working on it, so I was glad to get your question.

From the best that I can gather the answer is no, it is not a song about the Black Death/Bubonic Plague.  It is, simply, a nursery rhyme.  The interesting part is how it came to be associated with that dreadful period in European history.  Efforts to connect the song even had proponents of the theory claiming that the original words were, "...and we all fall DEAD."  Also, that the "ring" was a distinguishing characteristic of the bubose, the swelling that was a symptom of the disease.

The song's origin is murky which can lead to any number of different stories, none provable and therefore none unprovable.  It is a nice story, but is it true?  I'd have to say no.  It's just a song.  (Maybe some over-eager grad student tried to make a specious connection to a historical period for his thesis.)

As an aside, a similar reverse connection went on with "The Wizard of Oz," wherein all the characters stood for some element of political life in the late 19th century.  It was seen as a great allegory of the voraciousness of business interests versus the small farmer, large urban interests versus the people of the Plains.  Most likely, though, it was a charming story for children.

I hope this helped.  If you'd like to learn more, visit your local library and ask the Reference Desk for works on music and music history.

Joseph Logue