
In the end, they will last for many more years and offer many more smiles and many more interpretations as time passes. Today, we sing these to feel good and to enjoy their melodies as much as their substance and context. Maybe “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” is about taxation, maybe it’s about slavery, or maybe it’s about a different type of sheep, plain and simple.Īs for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” the verse is about the dignity of a light shining bright, something we don’t fully understand but that is also helpful along our way. Likely, they have multiple meanings, which is why they’ve lasted through so many years. The meaning of nursery rhymes and lullabies that have subsisted throughout hundreds of years is always fun to parse. In the next oldest surviving printing, Mother Goose’s Melody from 1765, the rhyme is the same, except for the last line, which is changed to “But none for the little boy who cries in the lane.” Final Thoughts Some believe the rhyme points to prized wool, black, and therefore not in need of dye.įirst printed in the 1744 Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, which is the oldest surviving collection of English language nursery rhymes, the original version went like this: Despite this, some have changed the lyric to “Baa, Baa, Rainbow Sheep.” But while this is easy to surmise, the thought has little supporting historical evidence. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star & More Kids Songs Super Simple Songs Super Simple Songs - Kids Songs 38.2M subscribers 365M views 8 years ago Get the Super Simple App. More recently, though, the rhyme is thought to point to the slave trade, particularly in the southern United States. Thought to be, perhaps, a reference to the English wool tax of 1275, which survived until the 1400s. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 8 Hours Mozart Lullaby For Babies To Go To Sleep Wonderful Lullabies 3. In the 1930 book, The Real Personages of Mother Goose, Katherine Elwes Thomas suggests that it refers to heavy taxation on wool. The single-stanza version of the rhyme known today goes as follows:īut the meaning of this verse is worthy of speculation. It, too, is sung similarly to the French “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman.” Since that time, the words have not changed. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star By Jane Taylor Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. This popular nursery rhyme dates back to publication around 1744. Hill:Īnother version, a parody of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” which was titled, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat,” is recited in chapter seven of Lewis Carroll’s famous novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by the character, the Mad Hatter. Alternative Versionsīelow is an alternative version, with a similar meaning, from 1896 from the collection Song Stories for the Kindergarten, by Mildred J. In this case, the lyrics and music for "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" are in the public domain.Twinkle, twinkle, little star. And yet it was a lovely flower, Its colors bright and fair It might have graced a rosy bower, Instead of hiding there. Recent individual performances (within the period of copyright protection) of the song may be protected by copyright. Themes More by Jane Taylor The Violet Down in a green and shady bed A modest violet grew Its stalk was bent, it hung its head, As if to hide from view. Many people mistakenly believe he composed the piece when it was a commonly heard tune during his visit to Paris in 1778.Īs a general rule, all works published before 1923 are now in the public domain. In 1785, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart published his famous Ah! vous dirai-je Maman Variations. Yes I realize I have this one turned wrong on the right upper side just noticed but it just. Linking to Quilting is More Fun than Housework Life in Pieces. de Lusse where it was titled "La Confidence". Finally I got back to work on the Hunter’s Star quilt, two blocks completed and one laid out ready to work on. The oldest printing combining the French song with the tune was in 1774, in the Receuil de Romances, Vol. The oldest known printing of the melody is in Les Amusements d'une Heure et Demey, by a man named Bouin in 1761. Find all kinds of resources and activities to help you support your little stars as they learn all about the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Nursery Rhyme. There are several versions all starting with the same two lines. As for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, it originated as a poem written by the English author Jane Taylor and was published in 1806 as The Star.

Before this the melody was used for a French folk song titled "Ah! Vous dirai-je Maman".

A woman named Jane Taylor wrote the modern English lyrics as "The Star" in her 1806 book, Rhymes for the Nursery.
