What is the nursery rhyme humpty dumpty about

What are the origins of ‘Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall’, and what do the lyrics mean?

30 July 2021, 09:40

What are the origins of ‘Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall’, and what do the lyrics mean? Picture: Alamy

By Rosie Pentreath

@rosiepentreath

We explore the origins, history and lyrics of one of the most popular children’s songs in the English-speaking world.

Humpy Dumpty sat on the wall is one of the nation’s most enduringly popular nursery rhymes.

But who was Humpty Dumpty? What brought him to that wall? And how did he fall off?

We unpack the origins, history, lyrics and meaning of one of the most well-known children’s songs in the English-speaking world.

Read more: ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ reworked in the style of Beethoven is a stroke of genius

What are the origins of ‘Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall’?

In 1870, a chap called James William Elliott included ‘Humpty Dumpty’ when he collected together a load of English nursery rhymes and songs, set them to music, and published them in a volume called Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs Set to Music, with beautiful engravings by London engravers, The Brothers Dalziel.

Before that, the rhyme can be traced back to the 18th century, and variations in lyrics (see below) have been recorded over time. It’s not clear who originally conceived the four-line poem.

Who was Humpty Dumpty?

Humpty Dumpty is the protagonist of the English nursery rhyme, ‘Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall’.

Perhaps due to his fragility revealed in the fall, he has often been portrayed as an egg – including by actor George L. Fox in his Broadway pantomime Humpty Dumpty, and by Lewis Caroll in his weird and wonderful Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Read more: There are lyrics to ‘Happy Birthday’ that you literally never knew about

What is the meaning behind the nursery rhyme?

There are other theories around the meaning of ‘Humpty Dumpty’. Some historians believe Humpty Dumpty was simply a device for a riddle around breakable things.

Others have suggested that Humpty Dumpty is King Richard III of England, who is supposed to have been humpbacked and who was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

We could assume Humpty Dumpty is the King, the wall is his reign and fight to preserve power, the fall is his defeat, and ‘All the king’s horses and all the king’s men’ the army that failed to prevail.

Another theory is that Humpty is actually a cannon. During the English Civil War, history says, a one-eyed gunner named Thompson managed to get a cannon – colloquially called ‘Humpty Dumpty’, to the top of the tower of St Mary at the Walls church and wreak untold destruction on the forces below, before return cannon fire dislodged the pair of them. Hence “had a great fall”.

Alice meets Humpty Dumpty. Picture: Alamy

A professor David Daube once had a fourth theory to add. In 1956, he posited that ‘Humpty Dumpty’ might have been reference to an armoured siege engine that was deployed unsuccessfully in the 1643 Siege of Gloucester during the English Civil War. This one was soon dismissed as a bit of a spoof by academics – but not before English composer Richard Rodney Bennett took the plot and ran with it for his children’s opera, All the King's Men.

Interestingly, Francis Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue from 1785 – we’re totally imagining this as the Urban Dictionary of its time – defines ‘Humpty Dumpty’ as “a short clumsy person of either sex; also ale boiled with brandy”, so the rhyme could have derived from either meaning.

Although – we have a bit of a chicken or the egg dilemma here: what came first? ‘Humpty Dumpty’ the Grose definition as chicken, or ‘Humpty Dumpty’ the egg? Take a look at the lyrics, and see what you think...

Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall – full lyrics

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

Humpty Dumpty – oldest known lyrics (1797)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Four-score Men and Four-score more,
Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.

Behind the Meaning of ‘Humpty Dumpty’, the Nursery Rhyme

It’s a refrain we learn as children:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

But just because we’re aware of something, doesn’t mean we know much about it.

Where did this nursery rhyme come from and what does it mean, exactly? Who is Humpty Dumpty and why was he sitting on a wall, to begin with?

Answering these questions is precisely the point of this feature. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the meaning behind the song, “Humpty Dumpty.”

Origins of Humpty Dumpty

The main character of the little song, or nursery rhyme, is an egg named Humpty Dumpty. The song, which has origins in England, most likely began as a riddle. The first recorded version of the rhyme dates back to 1797 and the song was written in 1870 in James William Elliot’s book, National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs.

In the United States, the story was made popular by the Broadway actor George L. Fox in the pantomime musical of the same name, which ran from 1868 to 1869 with a total of nearly 500 performances.

In 1871, Humpty Dumpty was referred to in Lewis Carroll’s 1871 book, Through the Looking-Glass, which was a sequel to Alice in Wonderland. In that book, Humpty Dumpty was described as an egg. And author James Joyce used Humpty as a metaphor for the fall of man in the novel Finnegans Wake.

Rhyme Structure

Today, the nursery rhyme is delivered as a single “quatrain,” or four-line effort, which follows the AABB rhyme scheme. The melody commonly associated with the rhyme was first recorded by composer and nursery rhyme collector, James William Elliott.

However, the earliest version of the rhyme comes from 1797 and looks and sounds much different compared to the more commonly known version and meaning today. Those lyrics go:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Four-score Men and Four-score more,
Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.

Further, in 1810 a different version was recorded with slightly different wording and meaning:

Humpty Dumpty sate on a wall,
Humpti Dumpti had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more,
Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before.

Later, other versions popped up, though they didn’t have as long a shelf-life, if you will, as the more commonly known versions today.

The Oxford English Dictionary

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in the 17th century, the term “humpty dumpty” referred to a drink made of brandy boiled with ale. The term also was an 18th-century bit of slang for a short and clumsy person.

The Egg, The Riddle

Originally, the nursery rhyme may have been more of a riddle to recite—perhaps in bars as people drank their brandy in ale.

The riddle may have had an answer for the question: what might sit on a wall and, when it falls, can’t be put back together again? Answer: an egg.

Now, though, the answer is baked into the riddle and verse because it is so well known.

Others have suggested that Humpty Dumpty is, in fact, a reference to King Richard III of England who was depicted as a humpback in several places, including in Shakespeare’s play.

Others have suggested Humpty was a reference to a Cardinal or even a tortoise.

More recently, Humpty has shown up more and more in pop culture. The pop band AJR even wrote a song named after the famous egg, using him as a metaphor for keeping secrets.

Ultimate Conclusions

“Humpty Dumpty” remains one of the most famous nursery rhymes ever. Because it’s short, it’s fun and it’s concise, largely.

But also because it’s mysterious. Reciting the rhyme, one can’t help but wonder: what does this mean?

Perhaps it’s a metaphor for things breaking. Once an egg is shattered this is no putting it back together, not for you, not for the king’s men.

Or, maybe, more than a metaphor for a shattered vase, it’s a reference to a fallen king or monarch. Once a leader falls, there is no going back.

Another theory is that a “Humpty Dumpty” was a slang term for a cannon that was managed to get atop a tower wall and fire down below. Really, though, it could mean anything. A cannon, a king, an egg, a vase, a short person, a drink, an idea.

In the end, that’s the point. Humpty Dumpty can be anything.

Even us.

Illustration by Sir John Tenniel 19th Century Illustration / Gettyimages.com

"Humpty Dumpty. English Children's Songs» Marshak Samuil Yakovlevich - book description | Baby, read!

Humpty Dumpty. English children's songs

Marshak Samuil Yakovlevich

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ISBN 978-5-17-148445-3
Last circulation: 05/06/2022

Abstract

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty fell down in his sleep... Why couldn't anyone pick up this strange Humpty Dumpty? Here's a riddle! Famous English folk songs translated by S. Marshak and with wonderful pictures by S. Bordyug and N. Trepenok are the best gift for a kid! Short funny songs are easy to learn and read at home holidays!

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Author:

Marshak Samuil Yakovlevich

Edition:

Kid

Series:

Kid, read!

Artist:

Marshak Samuel Yakovlevich

ISBN:

978-5-17-148445-3

weight (kg):

0.042

Binding:

Soft

pages:

Width (mm):

210

Height (mm):

285

Last circulation date:

06.05.2022

BBK:

84 (2RC) 6- 6- 6- 5¶ M30

UDC:

821.161.1-93

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