Lyr Add: Humpty Dumpty

Subject: Lyr Add: Humpty Dumpty
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 17 - 07:39 PM

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses
And all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty
Together

Version 2.

Humpty Dumpty sat upon the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's dwarfs
And all the king's soldiers
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty
Back to rights

Version 3

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Threescore men and threescore more
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty
Where he was before.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Humpty Dumpty
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Mar 17 - 10:02 PM

Background?
Source?
Significance?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Humpty Dumpty
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 31 Mar 17 - 07:44 AM

If they are supposed to rhyme (assuming here that they are nursery rhymes) the first one (the one that I know)should be 'couldn't put Humpty together again

The second would rhyme using "all the King's dwarfs and all the King's knights"

But, maybe they should not rhyme? Who knows!

DtG

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Humpty Dumpty
From: Joe_F
Date: 31 Mar 17 - 06:15 PM

According to The Annotated Mother Goose, the oldest published version is (essentially) no. 3:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more
Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.

-- Gamma Gurton's Garland, 1810; but the horses-and-men version is about as old, and indeed, the rhyme as a whole must be much older.

Note that this is a riddle, the answer being "an egg"; but for most of us, "Through the Looking-Glass" was a spoiler.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Humpty Dumpty
From: Mo the caller
Date: 01 Apr 17 - 10:50 AM

Well the first version with last line 'together again' is the only one recited in England.





Yes I know someone will prove me wrong, but I've never heard any other.