A Serial Killer, The Bubonic Plague, And Human Sacrifice: The Chilling Backstories Behind Seven Nursery Rhymes

Published October 13, 2023
Updated December 4, 2024

Is “Ring Around The Rosie” Really About The Bubonic Plague?

Ring Around The Rosie Nursery Rhyme

Historical Images Archive/Alamy Stock PhotoAn illustration of children playing “Ring Around the Rosie.” 1880.

Most people know the “Ring Around the Rosie” nursery rhyme, and most people have heard that it has a dark meaning: It’s all about the Black Death, or bubonic plague, which tore through Europe in the 14th century.

But is that really true?

There are plenty of articles online that claim it is. These sources say that the rhyme, which reads in part: “Ring around the rosie / pocket full of posies / ashes, ashes / we all fall down!” includes clear references to the plague.

The Black Death

Public DomainA 14th-century depiction of people burying victims of the Black Death.

“Ring around the rosie” could allude to the rashes the sick suffered, whereas “pocket full of posies” could be a nod to the flowers laid on the dead to mask their foul smell, or a reference to preventative measures that people used to protect themselves from illness. And “ashes, ashes / we all fall down” could represent plague victims dying and then being cremated.

“The fatalism of the rhyme is brutal: the roses are a euphemism for deadly rashes, the posies a supposed preventative measure; the a-tishoos pertain to sneezing symptoms, and the implication of everyone falling down is, well, death,” the Londonist reported in 2014.

However, it’s never been accepted by folklore experts that “Ring Around the Rosie” is about the Black Death. After all, there are many versions of this nursery rhyme, some without the above references, and it wasn’t even documented until hundreds of years after the plague swept through Europe.

Rather, the origins of this rhyme are likely innocent. Snopes suggests that it was probably written simply as a fun song for kids.

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A senior staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2021 and co-host of the History Uncovered Podcast, Kaleena Fraga graduated with a dual degree in American History and French Language and Literature from Oberlin College. She previously ran the presidential history blog History First, and has had work published in The Washington Post, Gastro Obscura, and elsewhere. She has published more than 1,200 pieces on topics including history and archaeology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
editor
Jaclyn Anglis
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Jaclyn Anglis is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a dual Bachelor's degree in English writing and history from DePauw University. In a career that spans 11 years, she has also worked with the New York Daily News, Bustle, and Bauer Xcel Media. Her interests include American history, true crime, modern history, and science.
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Fraga, Kaleena. "A Serial Killer, The Bubonic Plague, And Human Sacrifice: The Chilling Backstories Behind Seven Nursery Rhymes." AllThatsInteresting.com, October 13, 2023, https://allthatsinteresting.com/nursery-rhymes-with-dark-meanings. Accessed August 2, 2025.