There Was An Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe...

Mother Goose, 1968, Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa via Syd and Goose

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,

She had so many children she didn't know what to do,

So she gave them some broth without any bread,

Then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed."

This poem distressed me as a child - I couldn't make any sense of it other

than the horror and injustice of children being spanked for no good reason.

It's exact meaning or intention has been lost over time as it dates back to the late 1700's. Some believe the rhyme may refer to royalty (King George II and Queen Caroline who had eight kids) or Elizabeth Vergoose of Boston who had six children of her own and 10 stepchildren (she gets my vote). 

As a mother it makes sense to me now: too many kids + mother alone = crazy. 

Disney Mother Goose via *amber e*

I had this book as a child - don't remember the exact name of it, so I'm guessing. Wish I still had it.

Vintage Jello ad via graphic-design

From A Pocketful of Posies, A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes, Fabric Relief Collage by Salley Mavor via Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Image via Artisian Landscape

Drawing by Kronheim, 1875 via Ask

This site has some information on the history of this nursery rhyme.