What If ‘Humpty Dumpty’ Was the Original Protest Song?
How a Mattress Commercial Sent Me Down a Nursery Rhyme Rabbithole
By LONNIE KING
Let me be clear right out of the gate—I am not a deep thinker.
Most of the topics I write about here are the byproducts of things I see on TV or social media, or that I read online or in print.
So, just know that I didn’t sit down to ponder the hidden meanings of 18th-century nursery rhymes just for fun.
This whole train of thought started because of a mattress commercial.
Some ad agency decided that what their pitch really needed was Humpty Dumpty—an egg nervously perched on a wall, afraid to fall.
But don’t worry, the smiling salesman in the commercial assured him, because this mattress is so supportive, it’ll catch your fall perfectly.
It was a novel approach. But, the actor dressed as a big round egg especially caught my attention.
And, as these things sometimes go in my head, it also sent me down a rabbit hole.
I started wondering:
- Why do we associate Humpty Dumpty with an egg?
- And was the original rhyme really just about falling—or was there more to it?
As it turns out, there’s a lot more history and subtext there than that slick marketing team probably realized.
A Rhyme With a Past
The earliest printed version of Humpty Dumpty appeared in 1797, and it read a little differently:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Four-score men and four-score more,
Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.
No mention of kings, horses, or royal men—just a curious line about 160 people trying to restore something broken.
It wasn’t until the early 1800s that the familiar “king’s horses and king’s men” phrasing emerged. But why the shift? What made someone insert royalty and military muscle into an otherwise simple rhyme?
The timing may offer some clues.
Britain in Turmoil: A Fertile Ground for Satire
In the early 1800s, Britain was exhausted from the Napoleonic Wars, which drained the economy and left a generation grappling with loss, debt, and uncertainty.
At the same time, the Industrial Revolution was reshaping the country—urbanizing populations, creating deep class divisions, and introducing harsh labor conditions in factories.
And while the monarchy and Parliament still symbolized power and tradition, their ability to address these new social crises was laughably inadequate. There was a growing sense, especially among the working class, that those in power simply couldn’t fix what was broken in society.
That’s why it’s easy to imagine that in London pubs and marketplaces, the updated Humpty Dumpty wasn’t just a children’s chant. It was a sly, sing-song indictment of the empire:
Even all the king’s resources can’t fix what’s been shattered.
And that’s the beauty of oral traditions. A nursery rhyme could say what a commoner couldn’t say outright without risking punishment.
Wrap the message in rhyme and melody, and it spreads—quietly rebellious, yet publicly innocent.
Nursery Rhymes: The Hidden Protest Songs
Anyone who knows me understands how important music is to me. I love connecting with songs that speak to me, and I also love finding hidden meaning or subtexts in the lyrics.
So, reimagining some centuries-old children’s poem as a protest anthem for the common man in the early 1800s is an easy leap for me.
But this isn’t some personal epiphany. There is plenty of historical evidence that Humpty Dumpty isn’t alone in this double life of innocent play and darker meaning.
Plenty of nursery rhymes carried hidden references to political realities or social grievances:
- Ring Around the Rosie: Often cited as a macabre allusion to the Black Death, with “ashes, ashes, we all fall down” symbolizing death.
- Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary: Thought by some to reference Mary I of England (Bloody Mary), notorious for her persecution of Protestants.
- Baa Baa Black Sheep: Allegedly a lament about the medieval wool tax, where profits went to the monarchy and nobility, leaving “none for the little boy who cries down the lane.”
These rhymes endured because they were catchy, easy to pass down, and—crucially—ambiguous. They could be children’s games or subtle jabs, depending on who was listening.
What If Humpty Dumpty Wasn’t Meant to Be Fixed?
Maybe that’s the deeper commentary here. In a world where the lower classes watched the rich and powerful fumble their way through crises—whether economic, political, or social—the message was clear: once the system breaks, even the king can’t fix it.
It’s an idea that still resonates today. When institutions fail or power structures collapse, it’s not always possible to put the pieces back together. Sometimes, Humpty stays broken.
Echoes of Humpty Dumpty: Then and Now
And that gets me thinking about where we are today.
In the current political and social climate in America, it sometimes feels like we’re watching the same kind of fragile structures wobble on the wall. Confidence in government, institutions, and even basic social contracts—so much of it seems one misstep away from shattering.
And here’s the uneasy question:
When power becomes more authoritarian, and dissent becomes more dangerous, will we eventually have to hide our criticisms in coded language again?
Maybe we’re already there. Memes, TikTok videos, satirical tweets—these might be our modern nursery rhymes. They’re fast, shareable, wrapped in humor or irony—and just veiled enough to survive in an environment where saying the quiet part out loud could get you punished, fired, or deplatformed.
If that’s the case, the lesson of Humpty Dumpty is still painfully relevant: once the fall happens, even the king’s army can’t put it back together again.
The best time to listen to the warnings—whether in a rhyme, a meme, or a viral parody—is before the fall.
The Next Time You Hear a Nursery Rhyme
Next time you catch yourself with a nursery rhyme ear worm stuck in your head, ask yourself:
- What history is hiding in this melody?
- Whose frustration or fear might have been passed down, disguised as play?
Because sometimes, even the simplest songs carry the weight of entire generations who weren’t allowed to speak plainly—but still managed to speak.
Grace and grit to you! — LK
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Randomly Rudimentary Faith Stuff 
What If ‘Humpty Dumpty’ Was the Original Protest Song?
How a Mattress Commercial Sent Me Down a Nursery Rhyme Rabbithole
By LONNIE KING
Let me be clear right out of the gate—I am not a deep thinker.
Most of the topics I write about here are the byproducts of things I see on TV or social media, or that I read online or in print.
So, just know that I didn’t sit down to ponder the hidden meanings of 18th-century nursery rhymes just for fun.
This whole train of thought started because of a mattress commercial.
Some ad agency decided that what their pitch really needed was Humpty Dumpty—an egg nervously perched on a wall, afraid to fall.
But don’t worry, the smiling salesman in the commercial assured him, because this mattress is so supportive, it’ll catch your fall perfectly.
It was a novel approach. But, the actor dressed as a big round egg especially caught my attention.
And, as these things sometimes go in my head, it also sent me down a rabbit hole.
I started wondering:
As it turns out, there’s a lot more history and subtext there than that slick marketing team probably realized.
A Rhyme With a Past
The earliest printed version of Humpty Dumpty appeared in 1797, and it read a little differently:
No mention of kings, horses, or royal men—just a curious line about 160 people trying to restore something broken.
It wasn’t until the early 1800s that the familiar “king’s horses and king’s men” phrasing emerged. But why the shift? What made someone insert royalty and military muscle into an otherwise simple rhyme?
The timing may offer some clues.
Britain in Turmoil: A Fertile Ground for Satire
In the early 1800s, Britain was exhausted from the Napoleonic Wars, which drained the economy and left a generation grappling with loss, debt, and uncertainty.
At the same time, the Industrial Revolution was reshaping the country—urbanizing populations, creating deep class divisions, and introducing harsh labor conditions in factories.
And while the monarchy and Parliament still symbolized power and tradition, their ability to address these new social crises was laughably inadequate. There was a growing sense, especially among the working class, that those in power simply couldn’t fix what was broken in society.
That’s why it’s easy to imagine that in London pubs and marketplaces, the updated Humpty Dumpty wasn’t just a children’s chant. It was a sly, sing-song indictment of the empire:
Even all the king’s resources can’t fix what’s been shattered.
And that’s the beauty of oral traditions. A nursery rhyme could say what a commoner couldn’t say outright without risking punishment.
Wrap the message in rhyme and melody, and it spreads—quietly rebellious, yet publicly innocent.
Nursery Rhymes: The Hidden Protest Songs
Anyone who knows me understands how important music is to me. I love connecting with songs that speak to me, and I also love finding hidden meaning or subtexts in the lyrics.
So, reimagining some centuries-old children’s poem as a protest anthem for the common man in the early 1800s is an easy leap for me.
But this isn’t some personal epiphany. There is plenty of historical evidence that Humpty Dumpty isn’t alone in this double life of innocent play and darker meaning.
Plenty of nursery rhymes carried hidden references to political realities or social grievances:
These rhymes endured because they were catchy, easy to pass down, and—crucially—ambiguous. They could be children’s games or subtle jabs, depending on who was listening.
What If Humpty Dumpty Wasn’t Meant to Be Fixed?
Maybe that’s the deeper commentary here. In a world where the lower classes watched the rich and powerful fumble their way through crises—whether economic, political, or social—the message was clear: once the system breaks, even the king can’t fix it.
It’s an idea that still resonates today. When institutions fail or power structures collapse, it’s not always possible to put the pieces back together. Sometimes, Humpty stays broken.
Echoes of Humpty Dumpty: Then and Now
And that gets me thinking about where we are today.
In the current political and social climate in America, it sometimes feels like we’re watching the same kind of fragile structures wobble on the wall. Confidence in government, institutions, and even basic social contracts—so much of it seems one misstep away from shattering.
And here’s the uneasy question:
Maybe we’re already there. Memes, TikTok videos, satirical tweets—these might be our modern nursery rhymes. They’re fast, shareable, wrapped in humor or irony—and just veiled enough to survive in an environment where saying the quiet part out loud could get you punished, fired, or deplatformed.
If that’s the case, the lesson of Humpty Dumpty is still painfully relevant: once the fall happens, even the king’s army can’t put it back together again.
The best time to listen to the warnings—whether in a rhyme, a meme, or a viral parody—is before the fall.
The Next Time You Hear a Nursery Rhyme
Next time you catch yourself with a nursery rhyme ear worm stuck in your head, ask yourself:
Because sometimes, even the simplest songs carry the weight of entire generations who weren’t allowed to speak plainly—but still managed to speak.
Grace and grit to you! — LK
This is SO good, I've gotta share it!
Related