The real meaning and surprising musical history of ‘Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall’ (2024)

FAQs

What is the story behind Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall? ›

The original story pre-dates Carroll's take on the character. According to a number of military historians, Humpty Dumpty was the name of a cannon used by the Royalists during the English Civil War. The conflict raged from 1642 to 1649, and in June of 1648, Humpty Dumpty was stationed on the walls of Colchester.

“Humpty Dumpty” – This nursery rhyme is about King Richard III, who was killed in battle and his body left unburied for several days. “Jack and Jill” – This nursery rhyme is thought to be a reference to King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who were both executed during the French Revolution.

Or, maybe, more than a metaphor for a shattered vase, it's a reference to a fallen king or monarch. Once a leader falls, there is no going back. Another theory is that a “Humpty Dumpty” was a slang term for a cannon that was managed to get atop a tower wall and fire down below. Really, though, it could mean anything.

Remember, Humpty is also a symbol of the earth and all that is ruled by the king. The king represents the head of humanity, not the heart; the intellectual rather than the spiritual leader. It is the king – not the priest, rabbi or shaman – who finds it so important to restore the shell of order.

During the English Civil War, history says, a one-eyed gunner named Thompson managed to get a cannon – colloquially called 'Humpty Dumpty', to the top of the tower of St Mary at the Walls church and wreak untold destruction on the forces below, before return cannon fire dislodged the pair of them.

Humpty Dumpty is a valuable lesson to children.. Meaning sometimes you break or lose things and, no matter what, or how hard you or anyone else tries, that thing can never be brought back or repaired.. not even "all the king s horses and all the kings men" could bring him back..

Is 'Ring around the Rosie' the darkest nursery rhyme ever? Scholars have long maintained that this cryptic rhyme is about the deadly plague that killed millions of people in Medieval Europe.

1. a short fat person. 2. a person or thing that once overthrown or broken cannot be restored or mended.

In the mid-19th century, "pop" was a well-known slang term for pawning something—and City Road had a well-known pawn establishment in the 1850s. In this co*ckney interpretation, "weasel" is co*ckney rhyming slang for "weasel and stoat" meaning "coat". Thus, to "pop the weasel" meant to pawn your coat.

"Humpty Dumpty had a great fall" signifies that even the most capable individuals or organizations can experience setbacks or failures. In the business context, this line emphasizes the importance of acknowledging vulnerability and being prepared for unforeseen challenges.

What does Humpty Dumpty words mean? ›

When Alice meets Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland, illustrated here by John Tenniel, they have a famous exchange of views about the meaning of words. 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less. '

Humpty Dumpty's Grave

Standing out in St Mary's Churchyard is an odd gravestone, and not that of Count Dracula!

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in the 17th century, the term "humpty dumpty" referred to a drink of brandy boiled with ale. The riddle probably exploited, for misdirection, the fact that "humpty dumpty" was also eighteenth-century reduplicative slang for a short and clumsy person.

A random sample of 10 popular nursery rhymes shows this. The stuff of nightmares. Baa Baa Black Sheep is about the medieval wool tax, imposed in the 13th Century by King Edward I. Under the new rules, a third of the cost of a sack of wool went to him, another went to the church and the last to the farmer.

My father (From Birmingham England) used the term 'feeling humpty' for feeling unwell, which figures, as in the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty has a great fall and can't be put back together again.

Humpty is scared of heights after the fall, and it starts to get in the way of him enjoying his everyday life. One day, Humpty sees a paper plane fly through the sky and decides to make a paper bird: at least it can fly free in the sky and not be afraid.

First appearance as an egg was in Through the Looking Glass.” It adds up with the ideas of several war historians, who agree that he was in fact a cannon. Yep. A large cannon which is believed to have been used in English Civil War (1642-1649), specifically, in the 1648 Siege of Colchester.

Humpty Dumpty was sitting with his legs crossed, like a Turk, ​on the top of a high wall——such a narrow one that Alice quite wondered how he could keep his balance ——and, as his eyes were steadily fixed in the opposite direction, and he didn't take the least notice of her, she thought he must be a stuffed figure after ...