What Is The True Meaning Of The “Jack And Jill” Nursery Rhyme?
Public DomainThe nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill is well-known, but its meaning is open to interpretation.
Of all the nursery rhymes we’ve covered here, perhaps one of the most well-known tunes is “Jack and Jill.” This rhyme, of course, goes, in part: “Jack and Jill / Went up the hill / To fetch a pail of water / Jack fell down / And broke his crown / And Jill came tumbling after.”
So what’s this nursery rhyme actually about? As with many of the other tunes, there are a few possible interpretations.
As American Songwriter notes, there are more than a dozen variations on the Jack and Jill rhyme, during which different things happen to the pair as they go up and down the hill. The site speculates that the Jack and Jill rhyme could be an allusion to the myth of Icarus, an allegory about death, or a nod to a 13th-century Norse story about two siblings, Hjuki and Bil, who are abducted by the moon while fetching water from a well.
Public DomainThe rhyme could have something to do with Norse mythology, an English liquor tax, or even French monarchs.
Then again, the Jack and Jill rhyme could mean something else entirely. Grunge reports that it could refer to a 17th-century tax on alcohol in England, as a “Jack” was short for a “Jackpot,” or a half-pint, and a “Gill” was a quarter-pint. The rhyme could also be a nod to the execution of King Louis XVI of France and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were beheaded (and who both lost their crowns), even though the French Revolution was in 1789, and the earliest known version of the rhyme was printed in 1765.
As with many of the other nursery rhymes we’ve covered, the true meaning of “Jack and Jill” can be difficult to determine. Sometimes these rhymes may refer to a specific event, like the death of Richard III or the destruction of the London Bridge. But sometimes it’s just a fun little tune.
After learning about the surprising origins of nursery rhymes, discover the incredible true stories behind some of your favorite Beatles songs. Or, go inside the complicated question of who wrote the Bible.
