Trouble in the Nursery

My friend Vincent Anastasi is a songwriter of some local repute, and his local shows (which he plays with his two oldest boys) are always great fun. But I want to share a song he wrote with his youngest son, who loves Mother Goose. It seems that, behind the innocent nursery rhymes, there is a dramatic tale of crime and young love between a boy called Jack and a girl named Mary.

Listen closely, and try to keep up. Verse four introduces a second character named Jack, a witness to Jack-the-villian’s crime, who, sadly, never had the chance to testify. Coincidence? No one knows for sure. But you’ll never hear a nursery rhyme the same way again!

Trouble In The Nursery

You may have heard the story told of Mary’s little lamb
How it followed her to school one day and most everywhere she went
And many say with honored praise, its fleece was white as snow
But few can tell the tale I know or show what I will show

Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep and knew not where to look
For Jack be nimble, Jack be quick was a sneaky little crook
Yes, love they say, will make a way and Mary held Jack’s heart
So while Bo slept, in Jack crept and stole a lamb with art

There’s trouble in the meadow, there’s trouble on the hill
If you’ve come here for adventure then come and get your fill
The nursery now is reeling, the children feeling ill
Cause trouble’s now a brewin for every Jack and Jill

Round and round the mulberry bush, a monkey chased that fleecer
And a little dog laughed to see such sport as he made off past that sleeper
For Little Boy Blue was fast asleep under a haystack warm
And Little Miss Muffet ran off in fright, so no one raised alarm

Now Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water
And saw Jack jump the Candlestick with a lamb led by a halter
Yes, Jack fell down and broke his crown – there was no other witness –
For Jill, you know, followed her beau and tumbled down in distress

There’s trouble in the meadow, there’s trouble on the hill
If you’ve come here for adventure then come and get your fill
The nursery now is reeling, the children feeling ill
Cause trouble’s now a brewin for every Jack and Jill

Yes, Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he
So Jack never paid for this ruminant raid and now he’s running free
So ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross; call every old man to pray
For there’s trouble in the nursery now that Jack has got away

There’s trouble in the meadow, there’s trouble on the hill
If you’ve come here for adventure then come and get your fill
The nursery now is reeling, the children feeling ill
Cause trouble’s now a brewin for every Jack and Jill

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James D. Witmer

With a heart for writing about adventure, small woodland creatures, and what happens when you realize there are no ordinary places, James is the author of A Year in the Big Old Garden, a short story collection for children 4-10.

He occasionally blogs at jamesdwitmer.com or @jamesdwitmer, spends his free time digging in the garden with his wife, and is pleasantly surprised to find that loving his family makes meaningful change in the world.

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