Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks.
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
While many know that this popular children’s jump-rope rhyme refers to the infamous hatchet murders that took place in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4, 1892, allegedly at the hands of New England spinster Lizzie Borden (who many assume killed her father and stepmother), few know the dark and hidden meanings behind many other nursery rhymes that were popular through the ages. Here is a look at a few of the most popular–and notorious. Read more . . .
