Ring Around the Rosy. A harmless nursery rhyme sung by millions of little children the world over. Is there a secret that this rhyme is hiding in between its lines? A deadly secret, perhaps?

Evidence has just come to my attention that Ring Around the Rosy may in fact be based on the Bubonic Plague. For those who aren’t familiar with the plague, the World Book Dictionary says it is a dangerous contagious disease with symptoms of high fever, swelling of the lymph nodes, and chills. Here is a brake down of the rhyme:

Ring Around the Rosy… This refers to the horrible reddish rings infected people got on their skin. It was a sign of the plague.

A Pocket Full of Posies… People who did not get the disease would keep flowers close to their face to keep the smell of death out of their noses.

Ashes, Ashes… There were so many deaths and the bodies were so contagious that they were burned.

We All Fall Down. The people with this disease usually end up falling to the floor and dead.