10 Childhood Nursery Rhymes With Dark and Sinister Origins

Isn't it funny how sometimes a simple conversation can spark a desire, or a need if you will, to research and learn more?

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I don't even remember how my friend and I got on the subject of nursery rhymes or why I was struck at that moment of our conversation that perhaps "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater," one of my favorite childhood rhymes,  was actually pretty dark. I told my friend my theory on the rhyme. She cocked her head, looked at me silently for a second, and then told me she'd never thought of the rhyme in such a dark way but that she thought I was right.

I figured if I could see the sinister side of "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater" then maybe the rhyme really did have an origin that was less than glowing. So, I fell into a nursery rhyme rabbit hole, and what I found turned out to be pretty disturbing and a bit educational.