There Was a Crooked Man
Version 1
There was a crooked man,
And he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence
Upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat,
Which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a crooked little house.
Source: Nursery Rhymes & Nursery Songs (1870)
Version 2
There was a crooked man,
And he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence
Upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat,
Which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a crooked little house.
He brought it crooked back
To his crooked wife Joan,
And cut a crooked snippet
From the crooked ham-bone.
Source: Less Familiar Nursery Rhymes (1927)
Historical Background
“There was a Crooked Man” originates from the English Stuart history of King Charles I. The “crooked man” is said to allude to Scottish General Sir Alexander Leslie, who signed a treaty that secured Scotland’s freedom. “The crooked stile” represents the border wedged between England and Scotland. The English and Scots agreement is represented within the line “They all lived together in a crooked little house.” The rhyme refers to the uneasy peace between the two countries.
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