Hi, Mike B.

Thanks for posting that song. I'm pretty sure that many Americans {including me} have connected the name "John Brown" in this rhyme to the Harper's Ferry abolitionist. But I wouldn't be surprised if the name originally referred to an anyman figure {like John Smith}-meaning that's a general, common name for a man. I say that because, what does the abolitionist have to do with ten little Indians {not to mention him "having them" which might mean they were slaves, right?

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I know. I know. I went off on a roll...I really get in to this kind of stuff. I'm interested in children's rhymes in part because I find some of them aesthetically pleasing to read, to hear, and to see children perform them. I also consider children's rhymes to be window into the world of populations of children, and therefore should be studied for their historical, and psycho-social implications. Furthermore, I belive that examples of children's rhymes could have a number of academic applications.

But I've come to realize that one of the main reasons why I'm interested in children's rhymes is that they are a way to get away from much more pertinent, and much more serious subjects and situations. Plus, I equate the pleasure I get from finding possible sources of rhymes,verses, and lines in children's rhymes to the pleasure that some people get from completing difficult crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles or finding some nugget of information about some esoteric subject after putting in hours of "detective work". Collecting and studying children's rhymes is a hobby for me, and I ain't ashamed to admit it :o)