GOOSEY GOOSEY GANDER (1784)

It’s hard to imagine that any rhyme

with the phrase “goosey goosey” in its
title could be described as anything but
feelgood. But it’s actually a tale of
religious persecution, during the days
when Catholic priests would hide
themselves in order to say their Latin-
based prayers, a major no-no at the
time—not even in the privacy of one’s
own home. In the original version, the
narrator comes upon an old man “who
wouldn’t say his prayers. So I took him
by his left leg. And threw him down the
stairs.” Ouch!