Nursery rhymes and their dark side

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Would you have guessed that this nursery rhyme is about medieval wool tax imposed in the 13th century by King Edward I? Under the new rules, a third of the cost of a sack of wool went to him, another went to the church and the last to the farmer. Thus, nothing was left for the shepherd boy, crying down the lane. Black sheep were also considered bad luck because their fleeces cannot be dyed and so they were worth less to the farmer. This rhyme is a tale of misery and woe.