Rock a by Baby and the Glorious Revolution

The Nursery Rhymes Collections ane-4 contain a total of 277 children'south songs. Each double CD album showcases the highest quality children's music ever recorded with a total playing fourth dimension in excess of 10 hours!

Stone-a-goodbye baby,
On the treetop
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock
When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall
And downwards volition come babe
Cradle and all.

Words & Music: Traditional
System: Ian J Watts/Mike Wilbury

Origin and background

Historian and linguist Andres Ehmann wrote an essay about historical nursery rhymes that are directly or indirectly related to Kings and Queens of the Stuart and Tudor families: Rock the Kings!

By ways of these truly historical nursery rhymes he explains the meaning and the fascinating stories of English Kings and Queens throughout the centuries

Table of contents (chronological order)

1. Humpty Dumpty - Defeat of Charles I, Male monarch of England and Scotland
two. Georgie Porgie - Charles II defeated by Oliver Cromwell
three. Three Blind Mice - Queen Mary and the prosecution of English Protestants
4. Stone-A-Adieu-Baby - From Charles II to James II
5. Jack And Jill - The French Revolution
6. Sing A Vocal Of Sixpence - King Henry 8
7. Mary Mary Quite Contrary - "Bloody Mary", Queen Mary I
8. Skye Boat Song - The escape of Charles Edward Stuart
9. Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond - The last boxing of the Firm of Stuart

History, origin and meaning of Rock-a-Cheerio-Babe

Well! This plant nursery rhyme contains a real philosophical question, mayhap one of the nearly important questions in philosophy. The question is: Do words matter? You can read everywhere (and there is no dubiousness that the nursery rhyme is used in this manner), that this song is a lullaby, used to assist petty children to autumn comatose. Information technology would seem, however, that neither the baby / little kid or the adult singing the song is really aware of what they are hearing / singing. Concerning the infant or the little child, that's not very surprising. If they are immature, words like treetop, bough or cradle would have no pregnant for them. Apropos the adult the situation is more complicated. He or she understands exactly what the song is about. We see very clearly that very often the best communication is not to have any communication at all. Sometimes information technology is much more fun to look at someone while he or she is talking - looking at his or her face, to the emotions expressed by the move of his or her hands or to his or her smile -without paying whatsoever attention to what she or he is really saying. That's what a baby does. A infant doesn't really care what the words are about, or if they mean something or not. For a baby, words are just a tune. Mayhap there is a deep truth in the vocal, never revealed until known, words are misleading, far away from the tune of life and it is all virtually emotions. Because, if the infant understood what mummy, daddy, aunt, grandmother or whoever was singing, she or he would be SHOCKED. The song is virtually a cradle, rocking on a tree superlative. In order to fasten a cradle there, the treetop must be a certain size and therefore the tree must be a certain high, at least five meters. If the bender breaks, it must exist a certain thickness, information technology must be a strong tree, otherwise information technology would simply bend. We can therefore assume that the baby would fall at to the lowest degree five meters. If the baby really understood what the song was about, it is unlikely that he or she would accept sweet dreams. A nightmare would be more than probable! But all of that is no problem at all and the idea that this song could exist a problem if used as a lullaby arises from the completely misleading conception of linguistic communication. People think (nobody knows why), that words refer to something in the real world, that they Hateful something, although it is obvious that words ways nothing, they just create emotions or energy. People die for example for their fatherland, for a religion or for a flag because they are pushed by the energy of a word, just in fact a word for a human beingness plays the same role as petrol for a auto.

We are going to hash out that topic once once more when we talk nearly the song Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond. Therefore, we can say that this song is practiced analogy what words actually are. At the beginning, when they show up or are used for the first fourth dimension in history, they have a meaning, just after that, they are just a box where people put their emotions and ideas (often very foreign ones). When the word "dearest" for instance showed upwardly for the first time in history, it had a significant, but and then it becomes a box where people put in everything they believed bore a relationship to the discussion. We can therefore assume that a long, long fourth dimension agone this song had a meaning. From a historical point of view we tin't say that words don't have any meaning. At that place must be a meaning! Let'southward have a look at the songtext.

Stone-a-bye baby, on the treetop
When the wind blows, the cradle will stone
When the bough breaks, the cradle will autumn
And downwardly will come up baby, cradle and all

The clarification is somehow abstract, simply nevertheless there is a lot of information. The baby is in a very loftier, but insecure position. This position is endangered, because there is a risk that a wind may start bravado, which will rock the cradle with the baby and suspension the bough the cradle is fastened to, so that the cradle will fall down from the superlative. The almost important data is at the cease. Non just the infant and the cradle will fall, simply 'all'. What is 'all'?

In that location are some theories to explain the meaning of the song which can be easily exluded. The idea that the song was written by an english immigrant who saw the native american women rocking their babies in a cradle attached to the branches of a tree is absurd. Information technology is well possible that these women rocked their babies that mode, just not at the meridian of a tree and non if the current of air blows so strong that there is a take a chance that the branch the cradle is attached to will break. It is much more likely, given the abstract just detailed data in the song, that the song refers to a concrete historical situation.

There are three reasons to believe that this vocal has a relationship to The Glorious Revolution (the overthrow of James II, the final ruling Stuart King).

1) This argument is valid for all the songs with a historical background. The merely alternative nosotros have is to say that they mean nothing. Only, we have already seen that words become boxes in the course of history, but when they first their lives, they take a meaning.

2) In that location are a lot of songs where the relationship to the house of Stuart can be hands established and there are very few songs with a historical context which doesn t refer to the firm of Stuart in one mode or some other.

3) The abstract but detailed clarification fits very well with a concrete historical state of affairs.

We have already seen in Humpty Dumpty, Georgy Porgy and Three blind mice that the 16th and 17th century is characterized by religious conflicts which overlay other interests and conflicts. When Henry VIII (1491 - 1547) declared himself head of the English Church in 1533 to marry Anne Boleyn, the catholics were persecuted. This was both financially interesting, because the expropriation of the catholics monasteries was adept financial concern (see the song Piddling Jack Horner), and the catholic church was opposed to his matrimony with Anne Boleyn considering his former wife, Catherine of Aragon (1485 - 1536) was still alive. After the expiry of Henry Eight , his son, Edward (1537 - 1553), issued from the 3rd wedlock with Jane Seymour, ascended to the throne. Until and so there was only little difference between the catholic church and the anglican church building, at to the lowest degree in the content, which is not very surprising, considering theology consists of words - you can put in whatever you want. The fifteen twelvemonth old Edward abolished the celibacy of priests and the utilize of Latin language in the mass. After his early decease his half sister, the very cosmic Encarmine Mary, issued from the marriage betwixt Henry Eight and Catherine of Aragon, ascended to the throne. She reversed the reforms of Edward and the catholic faith became once over again the organized religion of the land, although non officially. The persecution of the protestants began (encounter the vocal Goosy Goosy Gander). When Mary I died, Elizabeth, her one-half-sister, issued from the marriage with Anne Boleyn, ascended the throne and the Anglican Church became the official Church building of England, with Elizabeth it's head. There are no songs almost the disharmonize between Maria Stuart and Elizabeth I, although this conflict, beside the struggle for power, was acquired by religious differences also.

In that location are still three kings left until nosotros become to the historical situation described in the song. Elisabeth I was followed past James I (1566 – 1625), the son of Maria Stuart. His reign is characterized by conflicts with the parliament most financial problems rather than religious bug. At present in that location are just two kings left, Charles I (1600 – 1649) and Charles II, until we get to James II, and his insecure son in the treetop. The relationship between Charles I and the parliament was difficult from the very beginning, for several reasons; his marriage with the catholic Henrietta Marie de Bourbon, the conflicts created because of George Villier (see the song Georgy Porgy) and riots in Scotland and Ireland, which obliged him to enquire the parliament for more money. The parliament basically was in favour of the suppression of the riots in Ireland and to offer the coin needed to do that, but was afraid that the power aquired through that money would be used subsequently against them. Charles I tried to eliminate Pym, the leader of the bulk fraction of the parliament, an act considered as a coup d' état and the outset of the showtime civil war (1642—1645) and the second civil war (1647 – 1649) which ended with the execution of Charles I. For a curt period England was a commonwealth with Oliver Chromwell as Lord Protector (head of the state). There is only one king left, Charles Two, before we get in at James 2, who was diddled away by a strong wind, when baby, the cradle and all fell down. Afterwards Charles I was beheaded the problems remained unresolved and the wars against Scotland and Republic of ireland and the suppression of the catholic organized religion in general made Oliver Chromwell more and more unpopular. For this reason, the English parliament elected the son of Charles I, Charles II (1630 – 1685) King of England afterwards the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658. We have already discussed Charles II. Peradventure he is Georgie Porgie. Although he had a very exciting, erotic life and a lot of very nice children (that'southward what we assume, nosotros suppose that they were nice) he had no "legitimate" son or girl. And so his younger brother - yes, we have arrived at the cradle falling from the acme of the tree - James II ascended the throne of England.

The Stuarts were non really what we would call a success story, but in history everything is very relative. The whole history of humanity is not really what we would call a success story, and it is simply later Earth State of war II, with strong international institutions like the UN and the European Community that we can observe something that looks like intelligence in human history. The unsuccessful story of the Stuarts ends in an unsuccessful style with James II. Nosotros tin really say that the babe, the cradle and all came down! Fifty-fifty information technology is hard to understand, since religion is about words, and words every bit we have already seen, don't have whatever meaning, he stumbled once once more upon the conflict between catholicism and protestantism.

Simply lets offset from the beginning. James II (1633 – 1701), likewise equally his brother, was in exile in French republic during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, serving showtime in the french ground forces in the spanish – french state of war (1650–1653) and then in the castilian army against France. We run across therefore that he was very flexible, much ameliorate than the idiot who said "wrong or right my land". He returned to England in 1660 when his blood brother, Charles II, became Male monarch of England. When his brother died in 1685 he became James Two of England and James 7 of Scotland. Whilst even so Duke of York, a title conferred to him past his blood brother, he married Anne Hyde (1638 - 1671). From this marriage issued ii daughters, Anne (1665 – 1714), who would become Queen of England afterward the decease of William III in 1702, (William was the air current who made the cradle fall, as we will soon see), and Mary (1662 – 1695), who married the wind who blew away her father James II. Both Anne and Mary were protestants. James II, breaking with the tradition of virtually Stuarts, became a catholic, although nobody really knows why. Perhaps during his stay in French republic and Spain he visited besides many churches instead of enjoying the succulent french fromage and vin and having fun! Some people go mad thinking too much about the "eternal questions". In any case he not just converted to catholicism, simply still worse, he fabricated it public and nether his rule the discrimantion of catholics in public life was footstep by step abolished, observed suspiciously past the parliament, who feared the recatholization of the nation and the influence of Kingdom of spain and French republic. Two years afterwards Anne Heyde died in 1671 James Two married once again, Mary of Modena (1658 – 1718), aged 15 at the time of her union in 1673. His conversion to catholicism started before this spousal relationship, just strengthened when he married the devout catholic Mary. (The problem with youngsters becoming religious earlier they have the knowledge to choose in liberty exists all over the earth. The writer would say that this is a failure of the schooling system and should exist resolved by teaching in a more than professional way, the principal tendencies of philosophy, Charles Popper, Ernst Bloch, Miguel de Unamuno, Voltaire etc. At that place is no freedom, if there is no selection. It is up to the governments to guarantee selection and liberty. All over the world, that would assistance to resolve many problems.) His marriage with the cosmic Mary of Modena, 25 years younger than him, increased the fear of a recatholization, because Charles II, his ruling brother, had no "legitimate" heir, therefore James would ascend the throne after his death, which is what really happened. James' marriage to the catholic Mary of Modena, likewise as his open up conversion to catholicism, was disapproved of by Charles II, although he himself converted to catholicism before he died and lowered the restrictions imposed on catholics. After James' union to Mary of Modena a campaign was iniciated by a office of the parliament to remove him from the listing of pretenders to the throne. Nevertheless, in 1685 he ascended to the throne of England and Scotland. There were several isolated attempts to remove him from the throne, simply it was only in 1683 when Mary give birth to a son, James Francis Edward (1688 – 1766), the future Old Pretender, who would never ascend to the throne, although he tried to so all his life, that fears grew. With the existence of a male heir, the danger that catholicism would become the religion of the nation became an imminent danger.

Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop
When the current of air blows, the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come babe, cradle and all .

The poetry "Rock-adieu baby, on the treetop / When the wind blows, the cradle volition stone" can be understood in ii different ways.

1) The baby, James Francis Edward's whole situation was insecure. We should have that the whole society is the tree upon which a King or any goverment relies on, and his position on the peak of lodge, is instable. If the tree is non very strong or not willing to back up him, a petty current of air tin can be plenty to brand him autumn and in this case, not only him, simply the whole business firm of Stuart. This is what actually happened. His father, James II, was the last ruling king from the house of the Stuarts.

2) The "legitimaty" of the James Francis Edward was questioned by the protestants for obvious political reasons. A rumour was started that James Francis Edward was not Mary's kid, but smuggled into her sleeping accommodation in gild to substitute the real, but stillborn child. If James Francis Edward was not her kid, there was no legitimate heir. Therefore, the cradle was rocking on the treetop, because his very origins were questioned. Information technology is now sure that this rumour was completely unfounded, just was used to dicredit the legitimacy of James Francis Edward as a pretender to the throne.

The nascence of James Francis Edward was the last and final event which made the bender suspension. In the same twelvemonth that James Francis Edward was built-in, 1688, the parliament agreed with the Prince of Orangish, William Iii (who was married to Mary, the daughter issued from the quondam marriage of James Ii with Anne Hyde) upon an invasion of England to overthrow James II. William arrived with his troops on 5 November 1688. Near of the army officers of James Ii defected and James II escaped to his cousin Louis XIV of France. There is therefore no doubt, that the baby, the cradle and all cruel down from the treetop. Afterward the escape of James II, William Orange (William III) and his wife Mary, the protestant daughter of James Two from his first marriage, ascended to the throne. When William III died in 1702, Anne, the second daughter issued from the matrimony between James II and Anne Hyde ascended to the throne. That was not really the terminate of the Stuart story, we are going to hear again from them in the vocal Speed, Attractive Boat, but information technology was the end of the Stuarts as kings of England or Scotland. There is a lot of history in these unproblematic 4 line, hey!

Finally, we can observe in this song a phenomena nosotros see very, very oftentimes. Traditional songs are often changed, to fit with another context or utilise. From this song, for case, exists another version, which describes the desperate situation of a large part of the society at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Hush-a-goodbye baby, on the tree top,
When you grow old, your wages will stop,
When you have spent the fiddling you made
Start to the Poorhouse then to the grave

The topic is completely different, the sardonic tone remains the same. This sardonic tone is something very typical for most traditional songs with a historical background. One might go the impression that life was likewise hard for sweeter emotions. Some exceptions to this dominion are the Skye Boat Song and Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.

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