"Ride a **** horse to banbury cross"?!?!?!

[cocopops]

Okay... I am kind of at a loss... I was browsing iTunes for kid songs because I like to play songs for my daughter while she is doing projects instead of having the television on.

Those of you that are familiar w/ iTunes you know that they have a section specifically for kid type songs called "Countdown Kids".

Well I was going through the options and came upon one that was PERFECT..."100 sing a long favorites" so I started going down the list of songs and came across...

"Ride a C**k horse to Banbury cross???"

Needless to say I did not purchase it. It sounds like a British song so I am sure the meaning of the song is not really how it sounds. But I can't play that for my daughter. Can you imagine!?

So has anyone heard this song? Will you play it for your children? Do you think iTunes should pull it off or leave it!?

[SweetRed]

With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes...

Yep, I remember this from childhood, and no, we're not British (although it is based on a British rhyme.)

I'd buy it if it were part of an album, but I wouldn't specifically seek out the song, mainly because I just don't care too much for it. The questionable word obviously has a meaning other than what you're thinking of and DC would be completely unaware of anyway.

iTunes should leave it. But I'm curious, do they really censor the word or is that your editing?

[Marisa]

A "**** Horse" is an old carriage-driving term, referring to an extra harness horse employed to assist pulling a cart or carriage up a hill. The "**** Horse" would be hitched up at he bottom of the hill and then unhitched at the top. It would then be ridden back down to the bottom of the hill to await its next customer. Banbury is situated at the top of a moderately steep hill and the town's council made a "**** horse" available to help access to the town.[6]

"**** Horse" can also refer to a Hobby horse, a child's toy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_a_****_horse_to_Banbury_Cross


How about that word as a name for a rooster? Do you censor ****-a-doodle-doo? What about a weathercock?

What if one day DD wants to wear her hat cocked? Or if she becomes a police officer and they teach her how to **** her gun? Hopefully she'll respect her superiors and not act too cocky!


I'm just trying to illustrate -- just because a word is questionable in one context, you can't go around censoring every instance of it. You'll go crazy.


ETA -- it seems like this board does censor C.O.C.K. by itself, as you can see above.

[NYN]

lol, Marisa you are crazy.:)

[jennylou]

It's actually one of the words that we do sensor. There are very few, but that is one of them.

[cynder]

Yes, I have that particular CD from iTunes. Yes, I play the whole CD for DS. No, I don't think iTunes should ban it because of that single. As Marisa nicely pointed out, there are a ton of words that over time have evolved into a different usage. There things that I will censor things for him when it is age appropriate but I not going to wring my hands over the historical use of "cockhorse". I am thinking in a few years he's going to get more kicks out words like "butt", "poop", and "booger" or least that what my friends of older boys tell me. He actually knows those words but there is a point where young kids realize how much of a rise it gets out of people.

Actually, if this song upsets you this much then I suggest you stay away from the classic text of Mother Goose rhymes.

[Graffy]

Actually, if this song upsets you this much then I suggest you stay away from the classic text of Mother Goose rhymes.

I was going to say the same thing. This is a nursery rhyme in a Mother Goose book that DS loves, and I've never given a second thought to reading it out loud to him every night. I can't say it's my favorite nursery rhyme, but I'm not going to skip it. It's actually one of his favorites because of the picture of a horse. :)

[catmom]

If you're going to go that route, would that also eliminate any classic nursery rhyme with the word "pussycat"? One of my DD's favorite poems is "The Owl and the Pussycat." Never occured to me there was anything amiss about that.

Incidentally, we had an issue of Babybug magazine recently that contained the poem you mentioned. I don't think it's a particularly obscure one.

[Asha]

it was one of the first "ride" songs that i started singing to dd. it makes her giggle hysterically. :D i don't see anything wrong with using the word as long as you aren't talking about male anatomy.

[Katie&Micah]

Since this was in a nursery rhyme book I grew up with it never occurred to me that it might be something indecent. Don't worry.. it's just an innocent nursery rhyme about Queen Elizabeth I. IMO, perfectly safe for little ears.

[SiValleySteph]

One of DS's favorite nursery rhymes! We have it in several nursery rhyme books and on at least one cd.

No problem with it here! :D

I have to admit that I have a harder time reading about the "poor pussy" in the Owl & the Pussycat. :p

[Sarah]

Or Wee Willie Winky.
:D

[mamax2]

Marisa ~ Or what if she wants to go to school at the University of South Carolina? GO GAMECOCKS!!! :p

No issue w/the word in this context. I wouldn't seek out this song, mainly because I'd probably giggle a bunch while singing it, but I absolutely do not think iTunes should censor a nursery rhyme.

[cocopops]

Ok ok I get it :o :o :o harmless nursery rhyme. Geez, you ladies are brutal ;) lol.

But it's just that damn verse "Ride a ****".... Ahhhhhh, I'm sorry that just doesn't fly with me. I just can't do that to my three year old DD i'm sorry! lol. :p :o

[emschwar]

We recited that rhyme to Noah all the time when he was younger. Bounced him on our knee as we said it, he thought it was awesome. I'm sure we'll do the same w/ Daniel. It's a horse, not a part of male anatomy ;) If you make a big deal out of the word, then it becomes a big deal. Leave it alone and they'll never know it's a possibly bad word.

[yby1]

**** is censored?? WHY??

[cynder]

That's the beauty of iTunes and of being a consumer in general. Buy the CD without that song or skip over it. I don't want to come off being harsh but I thought I was a little unfair to put the onus on iTunes to censor a questionable word when you yourself can decide to censor, that's all.

Man, just wait until these kids are teenagers.

[cynder]

**** is censored?? WHY??
Good question that I was wondering too. I don't think they are any 3 year olds posting here.:D

[Geranium]

I remember someone suggesting the Shel Silverstein album "The best of Shel Silverstein his words his songs" for children's music. I think itunes even has this listed in their children's section. There is some SERIOUS profanity on that album and no warning!

[catmom]

There is some SERIOUS profanity on that album and no warning!

Okay, now I'm dying to know what's on it!

[jennylou]

**** is censored?? WHY??

There are a few words that are censored (2 Cs and an F, I think are all) - it's been that way since the beginning.

[yby1]

Weird. I get the other C and the F, but not this C. :p

[jennylou]

I think it's intended to kEep things safe for work. Can you imagine some bosses eye brow raises over the word appearing on their employees work screen?

[villanelle75]

I think it's intended to kEep things safe for work. Can you imagine some bosses eye brow raises over the word appearing on their employees work screen?

Is c0ck really worse than "shit", which we can say freely? C0ck is a fairly benign word, as far as "bad words" go. I'd put it on the scale closer to "damn" than I would to the other censored words.

[heather 8^)]

Really? Just 2 C's and the F? Huh, I thought there were more than that being censored, but I guess that's just posters self-censoring!

[jajacobsen]

It's the same old double standard; Women appear naked in a movie - r rating. Mental appear with full frontal - X rating. Somehow "c0ck" is so much more offensive than "pussy."

Two ideas to teh OP -

just get over it. Like we have pointed out, there are numerous instances of c0ck and pussy in lots of childrens rhymes and songs because they predate the slang and vulgar modern nuances those words have taken. I would not llet it bother me.

Or you could teach your daughter the words are "ride a cart horse to Banbury Cross." If you sing it with her, I bet she won't notice.

[allyray231]

Yup we have sang it before. And read mother goose. Now reading Hansel and Gretal was a bit too much for me (the whole stepmother hating the kids-not sure my 2 year old is read for that), but don't see an issue

Hell Ring Around the Rosie is about the plauge!!!

[catmom]

Oh, I always skip over "3 blind mice". I think the part about the farmer's wife cutting off the mice's tails with a carving knife would be a bit much for DD.

DH also always skips the old woman in the shoe (who whipped her kids soundly and send them to bed). I think he may over-identify with that one, since his mother had more kids than she could handle. :p

Oh- and the one about Johnny riding with pussycat tied to one side and little dog tied to the other?? What's *that* about?

eta: woo! and there's "sing a song of sixpence", where the blackbird bites off the maid's nose at the end. Man, these things are nasty!

[jesvet]

Ok ok I get it :o :o :o harmless nursery rhyme. Geez, you ladies are brutal ;) lol.

But it's just that damn verse "Ride a ****".... Ahhhhhh, I'm sorry that just doesn't fly with me. I just can't do that to my three year old DD i'm sorry! lol.

I would definitely see it differently if it were "Ride a **** to Banbury cross." lol. Context is everything. Modifier, not noun. :D

OTOH I simply cannot read The Owl and the Pussycat to my kid, even though I know it's innocent, because I'm 12 and I lose it every time I have to read the part about "oh pussy my love what a lovely pussy you are." :rolleyes: We all have our issues I suppose.

[Scooter]

I change Owl & the Pussycat to Owl & the Kittycat, but I feel kind of prudish when I do. I do avoid some songs/rhymes, though--like 3 Blind Mice is a little too disturbing, I think. I haven't read DD Hansel & Gretel yet partly because I don't want her to think there are kidnapping cannibals out there!

Never really thought twice about Ride a C0ck Horse--was raised with that one and it's one of our 'riding on the knee' type songs. I don't understand why iTunes would be expected to take the cd off the store, I mean it's in plenty of nursery rhyme books and things. If we're going to censor nursery rhyme cds, we'd have to start banning nursery rhyme books, too.

Hell Ring Around the Rosie is about the plauge!!!Turns out that's an urban legend; it's not really about the plague. There's lots about it if you google, but here's the snopes page on it. (http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp)

[allyray231]

I

Turns out that's an urban legend; it's not really about the plague. There's lots about it if you google, but here's the snopes page on it. (http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp)


Oh thanks! I am so behind ;)

[BusyBee]

DH also always skips the old woman in the shoe (who whipped her kids soundly and send them to bed). I think he may over-identify with that one, since his mother had more kids than she could handle.


All the books my kids have say she "kissed them all softly and sent them to bed". I didn't realize it wa different. But, yeah, a lot of the classics are pretty brutal.

[ellybelle]

I simply cannot read The Owl and the Pussycat to my kid, even though I know it's innocent, because I'm 12 and I lose it every time I have to read the part about "oh pussy my love what a lovely pussy you are." We all have our issues I suppose.


We went up to Children's Fairyland in Oakland (apparently it was one of the inspirations for Disneyland, though somewhat old and dated). Anyway, it's full of Mother Goose displays, and I couldn't get through the whole "Owl and the Pussycat" w/o chuckling. I told DD it was because of the nose ring turned wedding ring, which evoked 4 year old giggles. Someday she'll realize what was making me laugh!

[sewhappy]

Funny story, though. That word did appear in the last Babybug magazine - it was asking what that animal said in the morning (or something like that) - the answer was cockadoodledoo. So we're out at lunch today with another mother and her daughter and here's my daughter standing on her chair and yelling at the top of her lungs..."C0CK!!!!!" C0CK!!!!" I guess it's a fun word to say! :D