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Jack and Jill (song) - Definition and Overview |
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Jack and Jill is a nursery rhyme.
There are a many modern versions of it (many of them are parodies), all sharing the same first rhyme:
- 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.
It is speculated that the nursery rhyme "Jack & Jill" actually marks the event in English history, whereby, in the 17th century, King Charles I tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures. He was blocked by Parliament, so subsquently 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 the Parliament 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.
See also Vidfinn and the external link for more speculations on a possible origin.
External link
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