Little Miss Muffet

"Little Miss Muffet" is a nursery rhyme, one of the most commonly printed in the mid-twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20605.

Lyrics

Origins and meaning

The rhyme first appeared in print in 1805, in a book titled Songs for the Nursery. Like many such rhymes, its origins are unclear. Some claim it was written by Dr Thomas Muffet (d.1604), an English physician and entomologist, regarding his stepdaughter Patience; others claim it refers to Mary, Queen of Scots (1543–87), who was said to have been frightened by religious reformer John Knox (1510–72). The former explanation is speculative and the latter is doubted by most literary scholars, who note that stories linking folk tales or songs to political events are often urban legends. Several novels and films including Along Came a Spider take their title from the poem's crucial line.

Alternative lyrics

There is also an alternative set of lyrics which has been taught in some countries where whey is not a common food stuff. In the nineteenth century the rhyme existed in many alternative versions including: 'Little Mary Ester, Sat upon a tester' (1812); 'Little Miss Mopsey, Sat in the shopsey' (1842). These rhymes may be parodies of whichever is the original.

Hartford circus fire

The Hartford circus fire, which occurred on July 6, 1944, in Hartford, Connecticut, was one of the worst fire disasters in the history of the United States. The fire occurred during an afternoon performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus that was attended by 6,000 to 8,000 people. 167 people died and more than 700 were injured.

Background

In mid-20th century America, a typical circus traveled from town to town by train, performing under a huge canvas tent commonly called a "big top". The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was no exception: what made it stand out was that it was the largest circus in the country. Its big top could seat 9,000 spectators around its three rings; the tent's canvas had been coated with 1,800 pounds (820 kg) of paraffin wax dissolved in 6,000 US gallons (23,000 l) of gasoline, a common waterproofing method of the time.

The circus had been experiencing shortages of personnel and equipment as a result of the United States' involvement in World War II. Delays and malfunctions in the ordinarily smooth order of the circus had become commonplace; on August 4, 1942, a fire had broken out in the menagerie, killing a number of animals. When the circus arrived in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 5, 1944, the trains were so late that one of the two shows scheduled for that day had been canceled. In circus superstition, missing a show is considered extremely bad luck, and although the July 5 evening show ran as planned, many circus employees may have been on their guard, half-expecting an emergency or catastrophe.

Little Miss

"Little Miss" is a song written and recorded by Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, of the American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in November 2010 as the second single from album The Incredible Machine. Before the album's release, the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 80, due to digital downloads. It has also reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song was featured in the pilot of The CW TV series Hart of Dixie.

Critical reception

Blake Boldt of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs up, saying "There’s hope and heart and a whole lot to like about this, one of the year’s best singles and an odd bright spot on Sugarland’s ambitious fourth album. The Incredible Machine may be an unruly mess, but "Little Miss" is a hit." Mark Erickson of Roughstock was also favorable of the song, giving the song four stars, saying "The melody is inviting and the lyrics are some of the duo’s best of the album". Although he was in very critical of the album altogether, Jonathan Keefe with Slant Magazine was high praise of the song, calling the "album's best song; [it's] the only one that even hints at Sugarland's roots as a country act [...] it's also the most restrained cut on the album in terms of both its production and performance makes it an obvious standout, but it's a strong enough song that it can stand on its own merits." Sarah Rodman with The Boston Globe called it an "amiable shuffle", saying it "fit squarely in the country pop arena."