Ding Dong Bell Totally Explained

Everything about Ding Dong Bell totally explained

Ding Dong Dell is a popular English nursery rhyme."Ding Dong Dell" also introduces a child to onomatopoeia. In this nursery rhyme the lyrics and words "ding dong", when pronounced, convey the actual sounds.

Origin

The origins of this nursery rhyme date back to the 16th century and the era of Shakespeare who used the phrase "Ding Dong Bell" in several plays. The original lyrics of "Ding Dong Bell" actually ended with the cat being left to drown! These words were later modified and the cat was then saved by 'Little Tommy Stout' to encourage children to understand that it was unacceptable and cruel to harm any animal 'who ne'er did any harm'. The latter version taught morality at an early age. This is an early example of the current trend for making children's rhymes more 'politically correct'.
Alternatively it may refer to the medieval English practice of ducking. "Pussy" was often used to refer to a loose woman, as shown in a surviving work by Philip Stubbes (as cats were associated with lust, disorderliness and femininity), and this is where the modern word came from. The ringing bells could be associated with the rough music common during shaming rituals (known as Skimmington rides) when the offending woman was paraded through the street. There would be loud noises to attract the community's attention (including banging pots and pans), and ringing church bells (the procession would pass the churchyard which was a popular meeting place). The procession would make its way the village pond (wellpond), another focal point of the community as it was here people washed their clothes and drew water. The woman would then be repeatedly lowered into the water by the young men (Johnny Thin and Tommy Stout) to show the community's disapproval of her behavior. The fourth verse sounds different to the first and was probably added later when old rhymes were collected and written down by the folklorists in the 1700s.

Shakespeare connection

The phrase "Ding Dong Bell" was used by William Shakespeare. However, given the original of Shakespeare plays were in Quarto text and the majority were not published until 1623 in the First Folio (seven years after his death), the following phrase could actually be the writer's original instructions for sound effects, although this isn't certain. The Tempest, Act I, Scene II: ť "Sea nymphs hourly ring his :

Hark! Now I hear them - Ding, dong, bell." The Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene II: ť "Let us all ring fancy's bell;

I'll begin it - Ding, dong, bell."

Modern rhyme

ť Ding, Dong, Dell,

   Pussy’s in the Well. ť Who put Her in?

   Little Johnny Flynn. ť Who pulled Her out?

   Little Tommy Stout. ť What a Naughty Boy was that,

   To try to Drown poor Pussy Cat, ť Who ne’er did Him any Harm,

   But killed all the Mice in the Father’s Barn.

Trivia

It isn't well known what is "Johnny's" actual surname. He is sometimes known as "Flynn", and sometimes as "Thin". However, the most commonly used surname is "Green", which is odd because the way the name is usually pronounced doesn't really rhyme with the term "in". In poetic terms, this is called a half-rhyme which is used by poets to achieve a certain effect.

Further Information

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