Ring a ring o' roses,
A pocket full of posies,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down

 

Most people believe that this nursery rhyme originates from the time of the Plague. The roses refers to the rosy coloured rash displayed by sufferers; the posies were a little amount of herbs and spices said to prevent from the Plague; and a-tishoo was of course, the sneezing which accompanied the final fatal moments of the victims when they would all fall down - dead!

People think "Ring around the Rosie" is about the bubonic plague because they were told in school that:

"Ring around the rosie"
A plague bubo appears on someone's cheek
"A pocket full of posies"
A popular way to prevent from the Plague
"Atischoo, atischoo"
Sneezing was an early sign of Plague infection
Or "Ashes, ashes"
The bodies of Plague victims were cremated
or "Husha, husha"
Usually "be quiet, he's about to die."
"We all fall down"
We all die