Like Kenneth C. Davis did with his “Don’t Know Much About” series (geography, history, etc.), London librarian and proprietor of F and M Walking tours Chris Roberts does with nursery rhymes and the subtleties of language. And while some well-read Americans may have long known that fairy tales like the ones told by the Brothers Grimm were always darker and more secretive and seductive than the Disneyesque versions we are often spoon-fed in kindergarten or in vacation Bible school, “Heavy Words, Lightly Spoken” proves that none of our childhood illusions is sacred.
Combining his knowledge of history and an ability to spin a good yarn, Roberts has cobbled up a book that makes delving into history such fun that even teenagers may find themselves enjoying it. Roberts delights in uncovering the many symbols and bits of code hidden within seemingly innocuous verse like “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush,” an allusion to pagan rituals, prison terms and (later) gay lifestyle.
Like many who write about the past, Roberts sometimes has to speculate, but when he does so, the author freely admits to it, as in his dissection of “Higgledy Piggledy,” which (at various times) has been said to be about prostitution or espionage.
Usually, there are enough records and facts to show that some of the apparently innocent nursery rhymes most of us grew up chanting are much more salacious than we knew. “Jack and Jill” is actually about “a young couple slipping off for a bit of ‘slap and tickle’ and the regrets that come later.” The regrets, as Roberts points out, are mainly Jill’s, since she is severely punished in later verses while Jack seems to run off in search of friends with whom he can share his adventure story.
There is plenty of war for those in search of it. “Yankee Doodle,” we learn, was originally popularized by the British, as a way of joking about American ineptitude; but after the battle at Bunker Hill, it was adopted as an American marching song – sort of an “in your face” comeback. And “Humpty Dumpty” was the nickname for a huge cannon mounted on the walls of a church in Colchester.
Readers worried that Roberts may have given the family unit short shrift need only check out “Jack Spratt” (which turns out to be an ode to the perfect, harmonious couple) or “Rock a Bye Baby,” which becomes a dissertation on the evolution of childcare. Of course the latter, Roberts points out, has early versions of the rhyme, which serve as “a good reminder that cruelty to children is hardly a new thing.”
The author’s fascination with subtle phrases, etymology and word play is what makes “Heavy Words” such a rousing read. Roberts diffuses popular notions about nursery rhymes (“Ring-o-Ring O Roses,” or “Ring Around the Roses,” is not about the Black Plague), delves into the nature of animal symbolism in nursery rhymes and even manages to convey more than a few lessons about British and American history. As is the case with “This Old Man,” the author also gets to point out that sometimes (to paraphrase Freud) a rhyme is just rhyme.
Of course, in Roberts’ able hands that’s rarely the case. “Heavy Words, Lightly Thrown” is a loving, in-depth look at history, the human condition and why words and the way they are used matter so much.
Dorman T. Shindler, a freelance writer from Missouri, contributes to a number of national magazines and newspapers.
Heavy Words, Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme
By Chris Roberts
Gotham, 224 pages, $20
