Azaria's Tingz

The 'kid friendly' nursery rhyme "ring around the rosey," is a urban legend. The song is about the bubonic plague or black death . t he “ring around a rosie” refers to the round, red rash that is the first symptom of the disease. The practice of carrying flowers and placing them around the infected person for protection is described in the phrase, “a pocket full of posies.” “Ashes” is a corruption or imitation of the sneezing sounds made by the infected person. Finally, “we all fall down” describes the people dying from the disease.