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Jack and Jill (song)
Encyclopedia
"Jack and Jill" is a classic nursery rhyme
in the English speaking world
. The origin of the rhyme is obscure and there are several theories that attempt to interpret the lyrics. The rhyme is known to date back to at least the 18th century. The song is sometimes titled "Jack and Gill", particularly in early versions. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 10266.
While the true origins of the rhyme are unknown, there are several theories. The earliest publication of the lyrics was in the 1760s in John Newbery
's Mother Goose's Melody. As a result, Jack and Jill are considered part of the canon of "Mother Goose
" characters. As is common with nursery rhyme exegesis
, complicated metaphors are often said to exist within the lyrics of Jack and Jill. Although these theories of meaning appear to make perfect sense, it does not follow that they are in fact the original meaning of the song. This is corroborated by the fact that the Newbery publication predates some of the common origin stories. These include:
A Jack and Jill reference appears in William Shakespeare
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
at the end of act three: Jack shall have Jill; Nought shall go ill. There is no evidence of any specific connection between this and the nursery rhyme and it is probable that the Jack and Jill here are used in a general representative sense for man and woman. A similar reference occurs in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost
near the end of the play: "Our wooing doth not end like an old play; Jack hath not Jill".
A. E. Housman created a parody of the poem in his "Fragment of a didactic poem on the Latin grammar" : "So, up the steep side of the rugged hill, //Companions in adventure, Jack and Jill //With footing nice and anxious effort hale //To the moist pump the necessary pail".
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
in the English speaking world
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
. The origin of the rhyme is obscure and there are several theories that attempt to interpret the lyrics. The rhyme is known to date back to at least the 18th century. The song is sometimes titled "Jack and Gill", particularly in early versions. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 10266.
Lyrics
Common modern version of the rhyme include:- Jack and Jill went up the hill
- To fetch a pail of water.
- Jack fell down and broke his crown,
- And Jill came tumbling after.
- Up Jack got, and home did trot,
- As fast as he could caper,
- To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob
- With vinegar and brown paper.
Origin and interpretation
John Newbery
John Newbery was an English publisher of books who first made children's literature a sustainable and profitable part of the literary market. He also supported and published the works of Christopher Smart, Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Johnson...
's Mother Goose's Melody. As a result, Jack and Jill are considered part of the canon of "Mother Goose
Mother Goose
The familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
" characters. As is common with nursery rhyme exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
, complicated metaphors are often said to exist within the lyrics of Jack and Jill. Although these theories of meaning appear to make perfect sense, it does not follow that they are in fact the original meaning of the song. This is corroborated by the fact that the Newbery publication predates some of the common origin stories. These include:
- According to the 13th-century Prose EddaProse EddaThe Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Nordic mythology...
book GylfaginningGylfaginningGylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
written by IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic historian Snorri SturlusonSnorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
, in Norse mythologyNorse mythologyNorse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, Hjúki and BilHjúki and BilIn Norse mythology, Hjúki and Bil are a brother and sister pair of children who follow the personified moon, Máni, across the heavens. Both Hjúki and Bil are solely attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
, brother and sister (respectively), were taken up from the earth by the moon (personified as the god MániManiMani is a name or word occurring in several etymologically unrelated languages and cultures, including:* Maní - a legend of the indigenous tribe Tupi in Brazil.* Mani , the founder of Manichaeism....
) as they were fetching water from the well called Byrgir, bearing on their shoulders the cask called Saegr and the pole called Simul. Many tales and figures from the Prose Edda date much earlier, recorded from Skaldic poetrySkaldThe skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
that was transmitted orally, much of which related to stories rooted in the Germanic paganismGermanic paganismGermanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
of the Germanic peoplesGermanic peoplesThe Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
. - The village of KilmersdonKilmersdonKilmersdon is a small village located in the north of Somerset between the towns of Radstock and Frome. The settlement is recorded in William I's Domesday book and dates back at least 1,000 years; though the core of the village dates from the mid nineteenth century.-History:The name Kilmersdon...
in SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
has a long tradition of association with the nursery rhyme and the hill featured in the rhyme is said to be one near this village. It has been suggested that the surname Gilson originated in this area and could have been derived from 'son of Jill'. - Jack is Cardinal Wolsey (c.1471–1530); and Gill is Bishop Tarbes who attempted to arrange the marriage of Mary Tudor to the French king. Their failure to negotiate this peace with France led to tax raises and thus the Jack and Jill protest song.
- In the 17th century, King Charles ICharles I of EnglandCharles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures. He was blocked by ParliamentParliament of EnglandThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
, so subsequently ordered that the volume of a Jack (1/2 pint) be reduced, but the tax remained the same. This meant that he still received more tax, despite Parliament's veto. Hence "Jack fell down and broke his crown" (many pint glasses in the UK still have a line marking the 1/2 pint level with a crown above it) "and Jill came tumbling after". The reference to "Jill", (actually a "gill", or 1/4 pint) is an indication that the gill dropped in volume as a consequence. A variant of this is that liquids (specifically alcoholic beverages) were watered down, hence, "fetch a pail of water." - Jack and Jill signify the 18th century Louis XVILouis XVI of FranceLouis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
of FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, who was deposed and beheaded (lost his crown), and his Queen, Marie AntoinetteMarie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
(who came tumbling after). The words and lyrics were made more palatable for the nursery by giving it a happy ending. - Jack and Jill were forms of currency referring to dollars and cents, respectively. The rising value of Jacks and Jill caused them to "go up a hill" until a plague caused a lack of water, causing a drop in the values of this currency (falling down and breaking his crown).
A Jack and Jill reference appears in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
at the end of act three: Jack shall have Jill; Nought shall go ill. There is no evidence of any specific connection between this and the nursery rhyme and it is probable that the Jack and Jill here are used in a general representative sense for man and woman. A similar reference occurs in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...
near the end of the play: "Our wooing doth not end like an old play; Jack hath not Jill".
A. E. Housman created a parody of the poem in his "Fragment of a didactic poem on the Latin grammar" : "So, up the steep side of the rugged hill, //Companions in adventure, Jack and Jill //With footing nice and anxious effort hale //To the moist pump the necessary pail".
In popular culture
- Louisa May Alcott's Jack and JillJack and Jill: A Village StoryJack and Jill: A Village Story is a children's book originally published in 1880. One of the many "girls' books" written by Louisa May Alcott, it takes place in a small New England town after the Civil War.-Plot:...
. - In 1978, the pop group RaydioRaydioRaydio was an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977, by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.-Career:...
had a hit song entitled "Jack and Jill" in which Jack sneaked down from the hill to get "love he couldn't get from Jill". Another Raydio song, "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)" (1981) provided an apparent continuation of the earlier song by saying that when Jack returned up the hill, "somebody else had been loving Jill". - Two music groups have adopted names from this nursery rhyme: Jack N' Chill and Jack Off JillJack Off JillJack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
- The CaravanCaravan (band)Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...
song "Jack and Jill", from the 1976 album Blind Dog at St. DunstansBlind Dog at St. DunstansCanterbury Scene rock band Caravan released Blind Dog at St. Dunstans' in 1976, their 7th studio album.This album has a lighter feel than Caravan's previous releases, shifting toward shorter "poppier" songs...
suggests an interpretation of the original rhyme, presenting it as a romantic encounter, told from Jack's point of view. - The Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
has Hill parodying KojakKojakKojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, with an inquisition about Jack and Jill running up the hill. - The Kim RicheyKim RicheyKimberly Kay "Kim" Richey is an American singer/songwriter. Though her work fits into the general country music category, her sound is not easily categorized. Her songs have been hits on both the country and pop charts...
song "Jack and Jill" references the classic rhyme. - Jack is one of Renee J.F. Piazza's characters in his spoof on nursery rhymes; "Who Kidnapped Mother GooseMother GooseThe familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
?" - YouthPLAYS.com published After The Hill, an adaptation/sequel of the Jack and Jill story by American playwright Meron Langsner in 2010.
- Jack and Jill are also gender-specific names for kangaroos and related macropods.
- in The King's Speech during one training session Lionel Logue, King George VI speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) makes the latter recite the nursery rhyme during physical exercise.
- Jack and Jill are the two main antagonists in Puss in BootsPuss in Boots (2011 film)Puss in Boots is a 2011 computer-animated adventure Western film produced by DreamWorks Animation, directed by Chris Miller , executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, and written by Brian Lynch, with screenplay by Tom Wheeler. It stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob...
. In the film, they try to reach the goose that lays golden eggs. Jill does mention that Jack broke his crown. - In an episode of 'Allo 'Allo, René greets two men at the door of his café and addreses them "Jacques" and "Gilles". An obvious nod to the nursery rhyme.
- Jack and JillJack & Jill (film)Jack and Jill is a 2011 comedy film starring Adam Sandler. Dennis Dugan, who has collaborated with Sandler on most of his films, served as director...
is the title of a 2011 Adam Sandler movie with him playing a man and the man's twin sister