Baa Baa Black Sheep Exposed: The Dark Meaning Behind the Rhyme
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- "Baa Baa Black Sheep" is a beloved nursery rhyme with a seemingly innocent exterior, but did you know it might hide a dark and intriguing history? In this video, we dive into the surprising origins and hidden meanings behind this familiar rhyme. 🌑✨
Explore theories that range from connections to the medieval wool trade's corruption and inequality to the possible symbolism of Cardinal Wolsey's abuse of power in Tudor England. Join us as we uncover the secrets of "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and reveal the fascinating, darker side of this timeless nursery rhyme. Don't miss this deep dive into history and folklore! 📜🔎
#NurseryRhymeDarkMeanings #BaaBaaBlackSheepDarkMeaning #HiddenHistory #MysteryUnveiled #DarkOrigins
Fascinating how many of these rhymes may have their origins in popular resistance to economic exploitation of the poor and working class. They seem to function as a kind of grassroots protest or satire against upper-class manipulation, and so probably go well beyond a function as children's amusement. Thanks again for another great video!
Yes, it would seem that these rhymes were actually social commentary.
Absolutely! Many nursery rhymes can be viewed as the 'memes' of bygone eras, offering satirical commentary on those in power, political issues, or the everyday lives of people. They provide a captivating glimpse into the mindset of past generations, reflecting the concerns, humour, and social dynamics of their time: so much more than just simple children's songs! Thank you for watching :) 🖤
Medieval memes
@@The-Resurrectionists Heavy Words Lightly Thrown by Chris Roberts is a treasure trove of these. Of course, yours are delightfully presented in video format and I like that you include multiple theories. As I recall, the ones in the book are the accepted origins with little discussion of alternatives. Again, just as I recall and it's still an excellent source. :) I love your voice and the images you choose are top-notch. Nothing is worse that seeing a 'medieval' video show pictures from after the renaissance and reference the 1800's! *Shudder*
i also find this interesting .
music also has hidden meanings and can be respected for it .
Men At Work - Land Down Under as an example .
if you listen to the song you will hear a celebration of all that is great about Australia but if you watch the video you may catch on to the kind of protest to
what some call development and the loss of the natural beauty of the country .
they even had a kind of funeral near the end of the video .
look it up for more info but its great to look into the back ground story of these things
My mum raised Moorits, a sheep with dark wool. Her neighbours who raised white sheep warned that if any got out onto their property they'd be shot on sight.
The reason was that if a single dark "hair" got onto the fleece of the white sheep it would be ruined for sale as the quality of the fleece would be downgraded. I imagine that this is the source of the "black sheep" insult, as having such a person in the family reduced the entire family's reputation.
proud to be the black sheep of my family enough to see thru their bs from the get-go, never fit it so that's good -speaking from the macrocosm.....-
@@Anonymous-km5pj Me too dude! Only me and my brother left now, but he still toes the family line of what an arsehole I am for standing up to my stepfather's abuse from the age of 9. Turns out as a 9yo, it was me who was toxic the whole time.
@@alaricgoldkuhl155 lol 🤣yep, projection at it's finest... black baah baas often the youngest imo (not science !) - they go in a different direction not already taken by others in the family consortium = *most heavily taxed* All the best, fren ✨
So a sheep farmer would shoot a female sheep in case it impregnated another female sheep? Instead of simply picking up a phone? Wtf.
So a sheep farmer would shoot a female sheep in case it impregnated another female sheep instead of simply picking up a phone and keeping good relations with neighbours? Country folk always lead to a conclusion of wtf but sheep farmers and shepards are generally the worst.
Love hearing, "Welcome back Darklings!"
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you :)🖤
Me too....🫶🫠🫶
🧛♂️
Just fed darkling beetles and their mealworms to my chickens, lol 🤣🤣🤣
What goes around comes around....
well according to the dictionary darkling= obscure, mildly threatening and most of all- done in the dark . Have been called the first two my entire life, would not mind the third option..
Do children still listen to nursery rhymes? 👵🏻🇦🇺
I go for the religious version as people despised the greed and hypocrisy of the church and would I imagine take solace in the rhymes they made up were poking fun behind the backs of the clergy. As always L, beautifully presented.
Your kind words mean a lot to me, as does your support, thank you for being here! 🖤:)
several years ago, before we retired my husband and i used to breed black sheep . they were merino x romney, and were popular among people who were hand spinners, I always associated the rhyme with the wool trade and taxation by the king.
Yeah, I thought it was about the wool trade too. We have hair sheep and I sing it to them asking them if they have any wool. And then of course I always answer for them that they in fact, do not have any wool haha
Honestly, I didn't know that... I thought that black wool was less valuable because it couldn't be dyed.. . thanks for teaching me something.... Peace
Being an American I had no idea of that history. We don't grow enough wool in this country.
@@dkdisme snarky... but I love it
My mum was a hand spinner and raised her own Moorits on her farm in Victoria. I have a jumper she knitted for me from wool she hand spun and raised. Very precious.
My theory is that it represents Sumptuary Laws. Black Wool would have been rare and only priests and royalty would have been allowed to wear it publicly. My Master is the church, The Dame was Elizabeth I. None for the boy in the lane because it would have been illegal for him to display it.
BUT if you read it again , you'll find that the last line says : And ONE for the little boy that lives down the lane .
♑✍️🇸🇯🇦🇺
@@Friendship1nmillionat 1:38 mentions that the earliest version says, "But none for the little boy. Who cries in the lane".
Black wool has never been rare.
Never
White has from time to time tho
@@wawwwa9542 It's not as much about the color as it is that black sheep were considered special, or a blessing of the fairy folk etc. Elizabeth had laws in place that only special people got to own special things based on rarity. And these things were regulated by way of tags. Tags on our clothing and the tags underneath furniture that say "do not remove under penalty of law" started with the Sumptuary Laws.
@@kevinluckham
Still, a black sheep was never that special.
And with white wool you can make it any color, even black.
Black woll
Just black
You can't even bleach it, as whit plant fibers.
Sheep heards is mostly white today.
By choise.
If it was black woll we wanted the heards would be mostly black.
And if looking at a typical heard some hundred years ago.
It was a mix of the colors.
Black sheep was more common the than today.
Truly fleeced.
Literally taking the clothes off your back.
In a British history course I took it was mentioned that Henry of Bolingbrook (IV) was awarded the wool monopoly before he became king. This gave him control of the wool trade to the Low Countries.
As always, beautifully described! I always thought it concerned wool tax but never knew quite how important the wool trade was to England in those centuries! Thank you!
I'm so glad you found it enjoyable! Thanks for being here 🖤:)
Absurd wool tax is worldwide- in South Afrca, it's a major luxury too, despite the amount of sheep there are around- it's not like they're an endangered species.anywhere in the world,,,,
Your videos are historical, educational, and beautiful works of art. Not many youtubers can say that.
Thank you so much! I'm grateful for your encouragement! :)🖤
These "nursery rhymes " are getting better all the time.
Who would have thunk that such sweet, innocent, and harmless words could hold such dark and diabolical meaning.
I believe that Cardnial Woolsey is the true character in the rhyme of bah bah black sheep
He is the wolf in "black" sheep's clothing.
" Jack be nimble, Jack be quick..." Maybe coming up?
Ironic that his name was *Wool* sey.
Thank you! I'm thrilled that you're enjoying my channel. "Jack Be Nimble" is a fascinating rhyme, and I'm excited to dive into its origins as well. I promise I'll make a video on it soon! 🖤:)
Your notification bell always gets my tomb opened and drags me into the light of day for that all too short interlude of velvet voiced information. Thanks so much for these wonderful posts...they force me to get some vitamin D🧛🏻♂️😁🥰😘
I very much appreciate you crawling from your tomb to watch my videos! 😂 Thank you for being here, glad you enjoyed! 🖤
I'm not sure about the Wolsey connection, however, certainly the 3 bags full makes sense if you look at the Master being the King, the Dame referencing the Church (the Bride of Christ), and the little boy who cries in the lane as the commoners who never benefitted (and still don't) from the machinations of the rich in trying to get richer. Though, of course the King would also have represented the government as well, so a sort of double meaning in Master.
Somethings don't change taxing the poor 😤 another wonderful narrated story always love to hear the choice you give us to try and make us think about 👍🏼 please keep them coming and a massive thank you 🤗🌹
You're very welcome! I'm so happy you're enjoying my channel :) 🖤
Abuse of power and wealth should have, by law, the harshest of consequences.
Didn't Herod the wicked king of ancient Rome die from an infection caused by parasite worms and by bacteria? Probable the least of his worries now after that.
Uh, why would the law enact a law against themselves?
This was one of the ones that was always so nonsensical to me that I didn't have any idea that it had real meaning, so it's always great to hear ideas!
In Sweden this rhyme/song has transformed to "Bä bä vita lamm" which is actually "bah bah white sheep" . This translation and adaption was made by Ottilia Adelborg 1890 and later assigned music by Alice Tegnér a cople years later. So this was very interesting background story from what I as a child thought was a very innocent rhyme.
(I didn't know it before it until I saw the resemblance of the english wordings) Cheers!
Taxes, taxes, taxes, governments just love to tax the people.
You sound like richi sunak going on about keir starmer!'
@@derelbriarley6786 At least you see the truth.
Today corporations control the government getting special treatment which costs us all no better than a tax.
Darkling here, was desperate to see this one, and was not disappointed! I just wondered whether 'lane' served any purpose other than the near rhyme with 'dame'. From Brighton local history sites we learn that 'lane' and 'laine' are subtly different in meaning: laine was a division of agricultural land derived from 'loan' or 'lease'. The said land was divided into furlongs, and in this part of Sussex at least, futher reduced into arable strips, aka laines. They are all at the foot of The Downs. North of Brighton there were five of them.The same site claims the etymological origin of 'lane' is unknown whereas 'laine' comes from Anglo-Saxon. According to the OED its first evidentially recorded use is from 1794 in the Annals of Agriculture.
Is there more mud to scrape off the boots of this one?
And just to muddy things further, 'laine' is of course French for wool!
Thank you so much for looking into this. I look forward to more of your methodical and beautifully presented work.
Your explanation of the word "laine" made me think that there is a commonality with the word "laird" (landlord).
Interesting information! I would say that would have to be researched to be discounted as irrelevant because it does seem like it could be.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge-what a great observation! If the original word in the rhyme was "laine," it indeed supports the idea that the little boy represents the peasant sheep farmers.
An interesting point to note is that Sussex is one of the few areas in England where a black lamb was considered lucky. Historically, it was customary to bury a shepherd with a piece of fleece so that God would understand why he hadn't attended church often (being too busy watching over his sheep). One of my folklore books mentions that Sussex, in particular, liked to bury their shepherds with black fleece, although I haven't found this reference elsewhere.
I'm so happy you're enjoying my channel! Thanks for your comment; It's wonderful when people share their own ideas and interpretations. We all have so much to learn from each other, and I always appreciate gaining new perspectives! :)🖤
Hello darklings. Thank you so much for this fascinating channel. My vote is wool taxes.
@@The-Resurrectionists Wow! That black sheep aspect sounds very significant. And yet 'black sheep of the family' has negative connotations now, so perhaps it's meaning has either evolved just as other words or phrases have ('nice' being a good example) or simply comes from two different traditions. Brewer's Dictionary could certainly do with an expansion of the connotation. Thanks for your reply.
Raa raa Rishi
Have you any gruel?
No sir no sir he's just cruel
Nothing for hospitals
Nothing for the schools
Everything for the filthy rich, that make the rules.
Your lake of awareness is astounding. The NHS and civil service could easily replace the master and the dame in a modern day nursery rhyme.
@@nochops1781 Your 'lack' of awareness of English is astounding. My lake of awareness is awesome ❤
He’s put more money into the NHS than anyone lately, it doesn’t need money it needs a complete overhaul and stop wasting money.
You must be a queit Kerry hour😂
This 21st century "Uncle Tom' does not deserve even such mentin - goodriddance.
A whole other rabbit-hole would be how 'Ah, vous dirai-je maman' became the common melody for 'Baa, baa, black sheep', 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star' *and* the Alphabet Song
Yes I agree! It's always fascinating to realise that many nursery rhymes originally had no tune at all, or that their original melodies have been lost over time. Most of the familiar melodies to the rhymes we know today were actually added in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s strange to think about how different these rhymes might have sounded in their earliest forms!
@@The-Resurrectionists please make a video for the origins of Jack The Giant Killer please
@@The-Resurrectionists it really is an amazing topic. Iirc a lot of the really well-known Christmas Carols were only 'standardised' to particular melodies in the Victorian Era, so there's a similar vibe going on there. Music in cultures of the past had such a different cultural effect before widespread use of recording technology, and it's fascinating to wonder about peoples' experiences of it back then.
@@tabbitee can listen to Ode to Joy any hour of any day now, hearing it then would be once-in-a-lifetime.....
@@Anonymous-km5pj Before modern times and recording technology the average person would have heard very little music in his lifetime - just the occasional live minstrel or troubadour. There would have been chanting and hymns in church. Shepherds would have wiled away the hours with bagpipes and flutes but not much else. For the upper classes there would have been background music during feasts and for plays and later on operas and organized concerts. People's hearing was extremely good because the world was so much quieter so a gentle and subtle sound that we would find difficult to hear nowadays would have sounded very entertaining. Music would have sounded far more wondrous to people in those days! Now to have any effect it has to be extremely loud and bangier!
Or maybe its just a song.
I remember an Artist saying many people would ask him about the hidden meanings in his work, some theories he thought sounded plausible and in fact he wished he’d thought of them himself at the time. In reality, he just painted a picture that he thought looked nice. Today, the new interpretations, context and back stories have stuck and become “The Hidden Meaning within...” or “The Truth Behind the painting…”
I can’t help wondering, 100yrs from now, will people say Yellow Submarine was a secret message about Drugs, a Dig at United Artists, The Vietnam war, Atlantis, or was it just a silly song as McCartney insists.
Tantalising as always, m'lady. Thank you ever so much for your upload!
Of course an ignorant person would says it’s about slavery!!!
The SHEAR audacity.
.....Hahaha....Boom! Boom!.
Of course, an ignorant person would insist that it absolutely is not about slavery.
If the origin refers to exploited peasant farmers who did not have access to fair markets, could not own land, and could not escape unscrupulous powerful figures who made great wealth off of them, they were essentially enslaved. OR...if a nation with a compulsory religion functioned in the same manner, those without choice are essentially enslaved.
Another wonderful, thought provoking video. Keep them coming my Darkling
The wool trade definitely seems to be the most logical origin! Thank you for always covering all the theories - they are fascinating.
That was excellent! What a fabulous presentation. I am so pleased to have found this channel!
Fascinating, once again I learned a lot. So interesting, and another great history lesson. Thanks L. ❤❤❤❤
So happy I found this channel! The history is fascinating and the narration is lovely.
These stories hold me spellbound 😊
That's wonderful to hear! I'm so happy you're enjoying my channel :) 🖤
"The Voice" is back with another great video!
Perfectly timed and just what i wanted. I loved every minute of it! Thank you for another thought provoking video. 💙
I'm thrilled to hear that! Thank you for your support 🖤:)
I just found your channel ❤❤❤ I subscribed immediately ❤❤❤ God bless you and your work young lady ❤❤❤
I always enjoy your interpretations, so often we are on the same track as I have been pondering them most of my life-unfortunately not lately, being cut off from reference libraries where I live; nonetheless I get haunted by them and wonder. This week it's "I had a little nut tree." Can't find it on your page-any ideas? Thank you.
I haven't tackled that rhyme in a video yet: While many believe it's a commentary on Catherine of Aragon, (the King of Spain's daughter), I'm sceptical, because the rhyme describes her as having "jet black hair," whereas Queen Catherine had blond/red hair. So, it definitely requires further research! Rest assured, I'll explore it in a future video-I promise! :)
Welcome back Queen of Darklings 😁.
I remember a show I used to watch with my Dad called Baa Baa Black sheep as a kid which was about a group of WW2 Corsair pilots doing missions off an aircraft carrier.
So I always assumed that ‘Baa Baa Black sheep was meant to represent the onset of conflict.
Therefore I would believe the explanation about the taxes being gathered from the people so that England could take on France.
All of these takes we’re rally interesting though. I also never saw any racist overtones in this nursery rhyme. Then again I had a Gollywog as a doll as a kid but was never taught that was meant to represent a lower class of person in society. It was just a doll that happened to be a different colour to me.
I love hearing your voice on these videos! I never imagined I would be a willing "Darkling" for you. Thank you for some great videos!
That's incredibly kind and sweet of you to say 🖤Thanks for being a part of the community! :)
Very interesting 🧐.. I’m so glad I somehow stumbled upon this channel..Thank you 🥳
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you! 🖤:)
Fascinatin analysis! Subscribed!
😍 thank you, interesting as always and your voice is soothing to my soul 😍.
My pleasure! I really appreciate your kind words :)🖤
And now the lyrics in the Swedish version of the song
Ba Ba vhite lamb
Do you have any wool
Yes yes dear child
My whole sack is full
A weekend coat for dad
A Sunday skirt for mom
And two pair of socks for little little brother.
Lol
It does rime in Swedish tho
Bä, bä vita lamm
Har du någon ull?
Ja, ja, kära barn
Jag har säcken full
En helgdags rock åt Far
En söndags kjol åt Mor
Och två små strumpor
Åt lille, lille bror
@@user-do9ub2wr3j
2 par strumpor
Har jag för mig
Vore ju fånigt med en
Eller?
@@user-do9ub2wr3j
Här igen
I den första översättning började den
Bä bä svarta lamm
@@user-do9ub2wr3j hm, komentarer har en sabla förmåga att försvinna här.
Två par strumpor
Ska det va
Alice Tegnérs översättning
Skulle ju va konstigt med en.
Dear Lord! That voice! It’s like warm maple syrup dripping onto velvet. Wonderful!!
Wow, thank you! I'm blushing! 😊🖤
I’ve set today aside to binge watch your whole back catalogue of content! Even the ones I have watched before. Charging me Bose headphones for bestest audio experience. And yes, “ bestest” is a proper word! 😂 I’d be very impressed if you could shoehorn that word into your next excellent video!!
I gotta tell ya I really love this channel. It conjures up all sorts of musings and playful conspiracies I invented many, many years ago addressing nursery rhymes and age old poems, limericks and song, paraphrasing them. As for this interpretation I gotta go with framing the Cardinal Wolsey abuse of power. Oh yeah, tho it is way more flimsy it is way more entertaining and a wee bit more intriguing. Any ancient abuse of power is drenched in evil connotations given the primitive era it's in and a result of that distance in time causes one to invent a surreptitious, cloak and dagger, Shakespearean like inference. It automatically assumes the haughtiness of the main character slash evil doer!
These all sound good, it’s a rhyme about exploitation. But in the 16th/17th centuries black sheep would be prized - dying cloth black was difficult to impossible. Those portraits of the rich all in black aren’t mourning, they’re wearing the most expensive cloth there is, black wool from black sheep. People have always worn their wealth and in late Renaissance that was black fabric, a really scarce commodity.
Thank you again for your interesting research. B.
I thought you might mention the black death. There was plague in Charles 11s time. Would the wool trade spread the black death? I am impressed by the Wolsey reference.
Not a lot of experience with sheep but never saw fleas on the ones I saw. The black death is carried by fleas and is frequently associated with rats and grain but sheep can live on fairly poor forage so doubt he connection
@@dianethomas9384 fleas bite anything whether or not the blood is right. But the black death was big , just as the wool trade was big. The bloke death could be carried in furs from market around the country. You can use a name such as black dog as a metaphor for something else, like depression. Not literally.
Very interesting subject, very well illustrated..... Thank...... you *
Brilliant video. Definitely the in equality between rich and poor. Looking forward to your next one. 👍🏻
cool narration, nice analogies interesting story
Thank you very much! I had no idea that wool was the source of English wealth back in the day.
Absolutely love your videos you have such excellent narration! Once you run out of nursery rhymes I hope you will do dark urban legends of childhood or dark original versions of children books like the little mermaid or Cinderella. I love the way you tell stories! ❤
Thank you, that's very kind of you! :) I've started exploring fairytales and have videos on Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. I'll continue delving into those stories along with nursery rhymes! Thanks for your support-I really appreciate it! 🖤
Nice to have another one of your videos - I hope you’re now fully recovered 👍
Yes I'm fully recovered now, thank you so much! :)🖤
Excellent analysis and commentary 👌 Thank you for sharing 💛
You're very welcome! I'm so happy you enjoyed it :) 🖤
Hmmmm. I think it could be a bit of both. Started out with the inequality in the wool trade and then morphed to a covert rhyme about Cardinal Wolsey.
I agree. My feelings were always about the unfair wool trade but...to reuse the rhym as a covert message about Woolsey seems very credible.
Woolsey was despised my many people rich and poor...many of the rich people gained their wealth from the wool trade.
Another great episode...I look forward to each one!
Well done L and team.
😊
Astounding breakdown of a nursery rhyme I sang. but akways quetioned, thank you!
Not what I was expecting. Thanks.
Excellent as always, and a superb choice of images. Isn't it a bit risky, though, showing all those sheep? 🐑One sheep. 🐑🐑Two sheep. 🐑🐑🐑Three... sheep... 🐑🐑🐑🐑Four...... sh-💤😴
I think it was probably about the wool trade. To openly criticize the crown would have been seen as treason, so they had to carefully and creatively get the message out without too much risk.
the church also, were the middle men and peasants could not sell their wool without them
@@alia9087 Right. And they could ex-communicate them as well. Such a shame.
Exalent as always.cheers🥃
So happy to hear that! Thank you! 🖤 And Cheers! 🍷
@@The-Resurrectionists xxxmmmwwwhhhaa
Brilliant thank you for your time
Hi, thanks for a great upload. will you do something on 'ring around the rosie'?
Thank you for another great video. I knew it was not about the slave trade because it was too long ago but thank you for clearing that for the ones that didn’t know. I didn’t see the Cardinal Wolsey connection. So crazy that in the end he was accused of treason! I find it fascinating as like today, back then the had their opinions on royalty while we speak of people in government. Thanks again for this lovely treat. 🙂 Can’t wait for the next one…
Thanks so much! I'm thrilled you enjoyed it 🖤 And as always I really appreciate your support! :)
Super Video dark one,i was the black sheep of my family,but I was born in Bradford the wool capital of the world,and at that time had more Rolls Royce’s than in London,keep up the good work dark one 👍👍
This rhyme is older than 18-19th century slavery. So those scholars who thought so were 💯% right!
fantastic. thank you.
Thank you!
I think it is about the love a sheep herder towards his sheep. He sang this song as he sheered their thick Winter coats in the Spring.
I just found this on Wikipedia:
'In keeping with his practice of erecting magnificent buildings at Hampton Court, Westminster and Oxford, Wolsey had planned a magnificent tomb at Windsor by Benedetto da Rovezzano and Giovanni da Maiano, but he was buried in Leicester Abbey (now Abbey Park) without a monument. Henry VIII contemplated using the impressive black sarcophagus for himself, but Lord Nelson now lies in it, in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral.'
Could the epithet 'black' be referring to this? Also, Wolsey's first appointment at court was as the almoner, in charge of administering alms to the poor - which is ironic, given his attainment of so much private wealth - but the line 'One for the little boy' could be a (possibly sarcastic) reference to this first appointment.
This is all putative, but the whole subject is fascinating - even moreso, because we have to resort to speculation when so much of this 'under-history' remains so sketchy. As you say, the rhyme, as with many others, probably has its origen in oral tradition, and the actual specific references are in many cases lost forever.
Also - as regards the term 'black sheep', would this necessarily be pejoritive? could the wool from a black sheep be highly-prized, as it was so rare?
Reflects the fact government is corrupt, most of you're examples are not pleasant , love you're research and explanations 😊
I agree that Cardinal Woolsey is the most likely.
As a child with no education to support my thoughts, I thought that the "little boy that cries down the lane" was the merchant or seller, and that it was a celebration of the division of value from the black sheep. The farmer, the State, and the merchant. Showing how valuable the sheep was to all of them. I even thought that black sheep's wool would be less valuable, but still contributing to all.
Any version that fails to distribute all three bags of wool is confusing.
As a kid I used to think that last line was "one for the little boy who lives down the drain". I used to steal slices of bread and shove them down there just in case some more poor little sod was worse off than I was.
It is lives down the lane the video has the lyrics wrong.
love this series and this site😃
Wonderful
Wasn't also much of the country's woodland chopped down and cleared in order to farm sheep ?
Absolutely! Throughout much of British history, forests were cleared to make way for farmland.
Another interesting rabbit hole to explore would be when and why "none for the little boy" changed to "one for the little boy." Given the oral tradition of nursery rhymes, I'm betting there's a little bit of truth to all of these theories. Over time, why people sang them could easily change.
I'm guessing that as the rhyme transitioned into children's literature, the idea of a crying little boy getting nothing wasn't very popular in nurseries...But I'll look into it further to see if there's more to the story! Thank you for watching and commenting-I really appreciate your support! 🖤:)
I think it must be "one" for the little boy. Otherwise, who got the 3rd bag?🧐
0:48 It's "have you any wool", not cotton. Some people can find connections where there aren't any.
1 black lamb is often kept in a field of white lambs, a nod to old bygone superstitions to keep the devil away from the flock.
I think the rhyme relates to tithes. Black wool was highly valued, as unlike dyed wool, it remained colour fast on washing. A third of a farmer’s wool was given to the King (Master) and a third to the church (which venerated the Virgin Mary - Dame), with only a third of the precious wool he’s allowed to keep for himself (little boy - who lived down the lane from his flock of sheep).
A black sheep being an outcast has solid foundation in practical wool processing. A white fleece can be used for any colour cloth - pristine white, delicate pastels, vivid reds and yellows, or more practical darker colours. But if there is any black hair in it, you can only dye the wool those very dark colours - which consume more dye to produce and are often sold for a lower price to people more concerned with their clothes not showing stains than with the height of fashion.
Not only is the black sheep a problem at shearing time, but any black hair it shed that rubs off onto another sheep in the flock is just as problematic. Black sheep can be "driven out" but more commonly they turn into roast lamb as soon as they're big enough to be worth the effort of processing.
Thank you so much love hearing the history of❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you! 🖤🖤🖤 :)
@@The-Resurrectionists I enjoy your channel very much. You have the most awesome videos full of information and sometimes terror lol have a great day and God bless.✝️✝️✝️🩵🩵💙🩵💙
It is the weaving trade in home industry that took black fleeces to weave into patterns for shawls and rugs blankets and such. Tax paid on white wool was not seen as taxable in black. So all benefit from the deal even the little boy that delivered black fleece from his parents small flock in village fields . Home industry in rural England was a life saver and built to top level during 16century when suspect this riddle came to us from
From the options you presented I think the war tax of Cardinal Wolsley makes the most sense. Being a man of God he was suppose to live a life of imitation of Christ the spotless lamb of God who shone with light whiter than any sheep's wool. Yet his decadent lifestyle showed his soul as black as night in contrast to Jesus and scandalized people.
He had 3 bags because 1 went for the king who was the master , the second to the Church who was the dame and 1 bag to enrich himself at the expense of sheep farmers who was the boy down the lane.
This explanation not only explains the nursery rhyme but also explains where the use of calling someone who is seen as a disgrace or brings disgrace as a black sheep. Likewise it also explains Baa Baa meaning Boo, Boo which is even used today to show your disapproval or contempt of someone. In the case of the cardinal people Baaed or booed him when the people resisted him and he lost power.
This will also explain why the nursery rhyme and black sheep became immortalized through time seeing that the news of the fall from power of this black sheep clergy man would have caused great delight among the people and news of the cardinal's downfall would have been spread far and wide and seen as God's justice being executed.
The nursery rhyme might even have initially been expressed as a song of praise and deliverance before it came down as a nursery rhyme as a new generation was born who didn't know the cardinal. Also since the sheep tax trade continued for another century after king Henry VIII the nursery rhyme might have been kept alive as a song of resistance and hope until the sheep trade came to an end. By then the rhyme became immortalized as a child's nursery rhyme.
In Dutch we have this rhyme, asking the sheep for white wool. And the last line says the children shivering of the cold
Thanks. Commenting to help your channel. Nice history lesson tho.
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Might have been the wool trade then recycled for Woolsey.
I believe some of these Melodys are also to teach music to children
black wool cannot be dyed.
Have you watched my lunch break, re beautiful building & dates fires etc 😮it's brilliant 👏 I used to ask my dad how they built this & that 😊its on you tube .
On the continent, here in Holland we have almost the same nursery rhyme. It goes a little different and it does not concern a black sheep but a white sheep:
"Schaapje, schaapje, heb je witte wol
Ja baas, ja baas, drie zakken vol
Eén voor de meester en één voor zijn vrouw
Eén voor het kindje, dat bibbert van de kou
Schaapje, schaapje, heb je witte wol"
Here it is also, three bags full. one bag for the master, one for his wife but the third one goed to a child that is shivering from the cold, there is no reference towards any taxation. It could be that this is only a translation from the English, since it is not in old Dutch but in more recent Dutch.
Popular songs with hidden meanings have always been a covert way of protesting when political dissension is banned - particularly when disobeying the ban may be punished by long imprisonment or death. I am tempted to say "all of the above", because re-using a simple song like this can secretly protest ANY of the historical situations mentioned. In addition, the older and more popular the rhyme, the greater the difficulty in proving its current intent - even though "everyone" knows what it REALLY means!
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Think it started out as one thing and evolved over time.
The tax seems the most likely. When a heavy tax was but on beer in c925 AD, drinking houses added black to the name of the establishment. The Black Cat etc.
William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon was a wheeler-dealer in wool as well as land-enclosures. The effigy of him holding a quill pen was a replacement for the previous one which depicted him having with hands resting on a wool-sack. This was replacement was urged by a travelling antiquity who expressed astonishment at the town-folks' apparent ignorance as to WS's other, literary and theatrical expertise. Make of that what you will...(or Will)!
It’s been my understanding that the black sheep of the family, for example, can be traced back to it being much more difficult to dye black wool, making a black lamb, much less desirable, and a symbol of misfortune.
Taxes on wool was a thing that barons in Calais Castle used the leverage of withheld wool taxes to get their own way.
"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"
Interesting references to several titles, "Sir, Master, Dame" then a "boy". Definitely alluding to class. Apparently Black Sheep has enough wool, equally portioned, for high and low social classes. But who actually ended up getting it??
For those who say that the rhyme doesn't say "And none for the little boy crjes down the lane", you should go back to 1 minute 40 sec where a version actually *shows* those *exact* words. There are always slightly differing versions that get written to reflect the milieu of the day.
"...cries..."
Thanks
There's much to be learned from History, which many-in-authority prefer not benefit the masses as noted in many government legislation unfortunately allowed by the masses .. .
Few realise that the prime “export” from Britain during the Roman era was metal (lead and tine) AND wool