I've heard―and I know you've heard―about how "Ring Around the Rosie" was about the Black Plague. Given that, whatever "fair" Johnny went off to was probably an unimaginable human abattoir. Pretty song though, and nice performance.
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I read somewhere that the 'Ring Around the Rosie' plague reference was likely an urban legend. It's a good story though, albeit pretty unpleasant as you say.
'Pop Goes the Weasel' is another nursery rhyme that doesn't make much sense nowadays. Why would anyone want to pop a weasel?
That was a nice version of the song. It is weird to see so many people filming the performance on their smart phones. We see a lot of people who can't experience anything directly but always at a remove through their devices.
a somwhat non-traditional version of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uWkMSBTuuw
Seems you're right. The Black Plague interpretation of the song seems to have only come into being since WW2, which does seem rather suspicious. The actual origins might be connected to Norse mythology, which is less melodramatic but still somewhat interesting.
"Pop Goes the Weasel" has blue tones. "The monkey thought it was all in fun." But apparently it wasn't. Sounds like there was a tragic misunderstanding.
This video seems more like an official recording, in that it's well composed and starts and ends at the right time. It is rather concerning that people feel the need to tape everything on their phones, though.
The Residents' version of the song must have been buried in my brain, because it all came back once I started hearing it. Wasn't it all recorded on toy instruments? Brilliant, in any case.
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