<font color=skyblue>I would have never known this if I was not a member of this forum, because here is where I learned that the "twoilet" is called a "loo" over there in Europe...so thus the childhood nursery song...

Flies in the Buttermilk, skip to my loo!
Flies in the Buttermilk, skip to my loo!
Flies in the Buttermilk, skip to my loo!
Skip to the loo, my darling!

The buttermilk is old or nasty, and has given the singer diarreah!!

As a child or an adult...most Americans that I know would never have wondered what a "loo" was....it does not sound like anything, so we ignore that word in the song as a non-word.

ROFL!!! :D </font>

Well, if that is true, it sure as hell is the cheeriest song about diarrhea I ever heard. Sounds like the person is positively overjoyed that they have the trots. (I always knew those Brits were an odd lot ;) )

No not really, what it means is she needs to skip over to the loo (loo being a toilet) and dump the bucket because it hs gone bad and is drawing flies to the bucket with the spoiled Buttermilk and if you listen to the rest of the song a few other things have gone wrong. I don't have the rest of the word to write down for you but my grandmother explaned the song to me back in the 1960's and it's really a very funny song.

one other thing it's not a nursery song its an old fiddle played barn dance song from the early american settlers for square dancing.
but you were real close to the meaning!

[ 05-11-2003, 12:34 AM: Message edited by: TheCrimsomBlade ]

oh, so loo is toilet. now I know. :D

LOL

The song all fall down is a strange song too

Ring a ring o' roses
A pocket full of posies,
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all fall down

It actually describes a plague

A ring o roses
refers to small rashy areas that people with the plague had

pocket full of posies
people thought plagues were caused by the breath of demons, so they would get sweet smelling flowers to ward off the spirits

Atishoo! Atishoo!
People with the plague were sick and sneezed

We all fall down
A lot of people did fall down.....Dead.

<font color=skyblue>I have heard a different version of that one.

Ring around the rosies = Red rings around the eyes
Pocket full o' posies = I heard they put the flowers over the eyes of the dead

Red bird, blue bird = I have no idea

We all fall down.

I like your version better.</font>

That song has a second verse, I've heard it... I know goes like this:

Ring a ring the rosies
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes, Ashes,
Its all burned down

Meaning the burning of the plagued asylums and buildings which were put on lockdown to contain the disease.

Another interesting one:

"London Bridge is falling down
Falling down
Falling down
London Bridge is falling down
for the raven's have left the tower..."

Was the original version but since it wasn't understood internationally the last line was changed to "my fair lady" which either refers to a woman of english descent, or the celebration of an enemy nation, or a word to the queen either as a joviouse celebration of British defeat or as a word to her in fear. Not too sure on the meaning of that one...

In germany there were lots of said rhymes, too many to really count... but I do recall a few of interesting origin:

"Stick a kettle to the fires
steam the coals
put in the tea bags
to preven moles

add in ardanians
hickory beef
softens it up
its good on your teeth"

Some medicinal quackery perhaps? Then there are the American Nursery Rymes, none of which I seem to recall short of the famose Benjamin Franklin's quotes... but I know there are others...

I heard posies were placed on the dead (in the pocket) to keep the stench down.

Regardless, nursery rhymes are usually pretty morbid. The brothers Grimm were aptly named, too.

Down will come baby, cradle and all. :(

There is another verse it's

The cows are in the meadow
eating all the buttercups
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all jump up

But I have no idea what it has to do with the rest of the song

I actually have to give credit for knowing what the last line means to White Wolf games (they make Werewolf and Vampire, and a host of other gothic gloom and doom games)

(any Brits out there correct me if i get it wrong) anyway according to legend there was a King Bran, a great warrior and legend among his people, he was eventually decapitated, and where his head was buried the tower of london was built, the Ravens flocked to the tower because it was choice roosting ground (and according to white wolf's game world, because they really wanted to hear what the head had to say) and they've been there ever since (England is supposed to fall if they ravens ever leave the tower, so many of the birds have their wings clipped to ensure they don't leave)

I also saw on the disney channel a LONG time ago that there have been something like 4-5 london bridges and they collapsed at various times due to poor acitecture, being overloaded with buildings, burning down, etc, but as disney has a way of "disneyfying" everything with a dark tale and putting a happy if inacurate face on it (try reading the original beauty and the beast, little mermaid, cinderella, etc.)