Curly locks curly locks

Curly locks, curly locks wilt though be mine,
Though shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine,
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And dine upon strawberries, sugar and cream.

I’m not sure there are many ladies around today that sit around on cushions sewing fine seams and eating strawberries and cream!

This illustration is from a lovely book by Kate Greenaway – another illustrator I love – called The April Baby’s Book of Tunes. It is a whole story discussing the rhymes and what is known about them. Bearing in mind this was written in 1900:

“Perhaps she did marry him, and is sitting to this day on her cushion, and has grown dreadfully fat through never moving and eating so much sugar and cream, and hasn’t even the energy to curl her hair any more.”

All the current exhortations to exercise and eat healthily, and the dangers of obesity really chime with this, though perhaps those messages are couched rather more positively these days!?

The book also shows that these ryhmes are often set to different tunes.

(perhaps tunes will be less diverse these days with easy music reproduction and distribution?)