Goosey Goosey Gander

by Anonymous

　　

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This nursery rhyme had many versions, the earliest may have been in The Nursery Parnassus published in London in 1784. As with so many nursery rhymes, their meaning remains a mystery to chanting children (which is probably for the best). This rhyme likely referred to the Catholic priests' hiding places during their persecution by King Henry VIII, and later Oliver Cromwell. Literary references include C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Agatha Christie's novel, N or M? and the BBC series, Upstairs, Downstairs for its namesake reference in the lyrics.

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Beatrix Potter, Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes, 1922

　　Goosey goosey gander, Whither shall I wander? Upstairs and downstairs And in my lady's chamber. There I met an old man Who wouldn't say his prayers, So I took him by his left leg And threw him down the stairs. Some versions have the additional concluding lines:

　　The stairs went crack, He nearly broke his back. And all the little ducks went, 'Quack, quack, quack'.

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