William Wallace Denslow's illustrations for Jack and Jill, from a 1901 edition of Mother Goose

Jack & Jill in the act of tumbling down, according to Denslow

Jack and Jill is a classic nursery rhyme of 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 eighteenth century. The song is sometitles titled Jack and Gill, particularly in early versions. Jack and Jill may have one of the following meanings. ... Image File history File links Jack_and_Jill_1_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... Image File history File links Jack_and_Jill_1_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... William Wallace Denslow Copyright notice from Denslows Mother Goose of 1901 - note the use of the word, Rex even at that date William Wallace Denslow (May 5, 1856–March 29, 1915) was an illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially his... For other uses, see Mother Goose (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Jack_and_Jill_2_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... Image File history File links Jack_and_Jill_2_-_WW_Denslow_-_Project_Gutenberg_etext_18546. ... A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. ... Definitions of the Anglosphere vary: Countries in which English is the first language of a large fraction of the population are shown in blue. ...

Lyrics

There are several variants of Jack and Jill (many of them parodies), all sharing the same first rhyme: In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ...

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.

The second verse of the rhyme is less commonly performed:

Up Jack got and home did trot

As fast as he could caper;

And went to bed and covered his head

In vinegar and brown paper.

There is also an alternative to the third and fourth lines of this second verse:^[1]

Then 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.

There is an even rarer third verse, as follows:

When Jill came in how she did grin

To see Jack's paper plaster;

Mother vexed, did whip her next,

For causing Jack's disaster.

And a fourth:

Now Jack did laugh and Jill did cry

But her tears did soon abate;

Then Jill did say that they should play

At see-saw across the gate.

Origin and interpretation

The origin of the rhyme is obscure and therefore theories as to origin abound. The earliest publication of the lyrics was in the 1760s^[2] in John Newbery's Mother Goose's Melody.^[3] As a result of inclusion in this compilation of English nursery rhymes, 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.^[4] This is corroborated by the fact that the Newbery publication predates some of the common origin stories. These include: John Newbery (baptized 9 July 1713 – 22 December 1767) was an English publisher of books who specialized in childrens literature. ... For other uses, see Mother Goose (disambiguation). ...

• In Norse mythology, Hjúki and Bil, a brother and sister (respectively) who, according to the 13th century Prose Edda book Gylfaginning written by Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, were taken up from the earth by the moon (personified as the god Máni) 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 from a much earlier date, recorded from Skaldic poetry that was transmitted orally, much of which related to stories rooted in the Germanic paganism of the Germanic peoples.
• The village of Kilmersdon in Somerset 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 the 15th or 16th century Cardinal Wolsey 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.^[5]
• Marking the event in English history, when, in the 17th century, King Charles I tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures. He was blocked by Parliament, 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 are the 18th century Louis XVI of France, who was deposed and beheaded (lost his crown), and his Queen, Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after). The words and lyrics were made more palatable for the nursery by giving it a happy ending.

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, lad and lass (such as John and Jane may be). 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. Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, including those who settled on Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Vidfinn was, in Norse mythology, the father of Hjuki and Bil. ... The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ... External links Original text English text Categories: Mythology stubs | Medieval literature | Sagas of Iceland | Norse mythology | Nordic folklore ... A statue of Snorri Sturluson by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland was erected at Reykholt in 1947. ... In Norse mythology, Máni was the god of the moon and a son of Mundilfari and Glaur. ... In Norse mythology, Vidfinn was the father of Hjuki and Bil. ... The skald was a member of a group of courtly poets, whose 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. ... ROSIE IS A GERMN LADYGermanic paganism refers to the religion of the Germanic nations preceding Christianization. ... Thor/Donar, Germanic thunder god. ... Kilmersdon is a small village located in North Somerset between the towns of Radstock and Frome. ... This article is about the county of Somerset in England. ... Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, (c. ... Mary Tudor can refer to any of the following: Mary Tudor (queen consort of France) Mary I of England Category: ... England is the largest and most populous of the four main divisions of the United Kingdom. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. ... The English parliament in front of the King, c. ... Louis XVI, born Louis-Auguste de France (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see A Midsummer Nights Dream (disambiguation). ... For the film, see Loves Labours Lost (2000 film). ...

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".

Uses in popular music

• British Glam-rock band Slade used a reference to this rhyme on their song "Did yer mama ever tell ya".
• In 1978, the pop group Raydio 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".

• The Louis Prima song "Jump, Jive an' Wail" featured in the album The Wildest! contains a reference to the rhyme.

• The Dresden Dolls song "Half Jack" also contains references to the rhyme.

• The Can song "Pauper's Daughter and I" from the album Out of Reach also contains part of the rhyme in its lyrics.

• Two music groups have adopted names from this nursery rhyme: Jack N' Chill and Jack Off Jill

• The Caravan song "Jack and Jill", from the 1976 album Blind Dog at St. Dunstans suggests an interpretation of the original rhyme, presenting it as a romantic encounter, told from Jack's point of view.

• English Ska artist Judge Dread references Jack and Jill in his song Big Seven, singing "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a roll of cheese, Jack came down with a beaming smile and the trousers around his knees."

• What that rhyme means, is Jack is the sun who goes up the hill or the sky to light the world. Jack falls down the sky or hill and breaks his crown or his rays dissappear and Jill or the moon come tumbling after to take his place in the night sky.

• The Kim Richey song "Jack and Jill" references the classic rhyme.

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Raydio was an Acid Jazz and R&B vocal group, formed in 1977, by Ray Parker Jr. ... Louis Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American entertainer, singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. ... The Wildest! is an album by Louis Prima, first released in 1957. ... The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. ... Can was a musical group formed in West Germany in 1968. ... Out of Reach is an album by the German krautrock band Can, released as an LP in 1978 on Harvest Records. ... Jack Off Jill was an Alternative rock band from Ft. ... Caravan are an English rock/jazz band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. ... This article is about the genre. ... Alexander Minto Hughes (1945 - March 12, 1998), better known as Judge Dread, a British reggae and ska artist. ... Kim Richey in Cambridge, MA, 2002 Kim Richey (born in Kettering, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton) is an American singer/songwriter. ...

Notes