Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind The Rhyme

Was Little Jack Horner a squatter? “Baa Baa Black Sheep” a bleat about taxation? What did Jack and Jill do on that hill? Who was Mary? And why was she contrary? This witty and ingenious book delves into the hidden meanings of forty of the most innocuous-sounding nursery rhymes, uncovering a seething subtext of sexual innuendo, religious hatred, and political subversion. Heavy Words Lightly Thrown provides a fascinating history lesson, teases out some alarming Freudian interpretations, and makes astonishing connections to contemporary popular culture. Striking and spooky silhouettes of nursery rhyme characters accompany the rhymes. You’ll never see Mother Goose in the same way again.