Ring around the rosie. . .

What is the history behind the children's song 'Ring Around the Rosie'? I had heard that it was related to the plague but I've also heard that is a misconception. I always thought that was a bit morbid. What is the truth?
 

Isabelle

Member
I have heard that it was something related to the plague or some other illness as well as a way to keep children from spreading the disease. I don't know if that is true or not though.
 

Enertia

Member
I have also heard that "Ring Around the Rosie", refers to the Bubonic plague. The symptoms of the plague, was a rosy red rash. People carried posies in their pockets, thinking the plague was deterred by sweet smells, and bodies of plague victims were cremated. If this rhyme does not refer to the plague, I would be surprised.
 
That's what I thought until I read more about it. Apparently according to people who have studied the poem, the symptoms do not fit with the plague it is supposed to describe, there are too many forms, and the idea that the "fall" is a reference to doing a curtsy common with those games. I don't know what the proposed true origin is though.
 
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