What is the history of Ring Around the Rosies?

Answer by  Hayley (11)

The (Black death) Bubonic plague of Europe. Ring Around the Rosies refers to the Ring around the red (Rosy) skin lesions. Pocket Full of Posies refers to Flowers (Posies) people carried (they believed these to help against contracting the plague). Ashes to Ashes We All Fall Down refers to the death accosiated with the plague the remains were burnt (Ashes).

Answer by  Ender33 (51)

This refers to the Bubonic plague. The lyric "ring around the rosies" refers to the rings of infection which formed around the sores of the plague victims which were comonly called rosies. "Pocket full of posies" refers to the stuffing of posies into the pockets of the dead.

Answer by  kqwik (317)

It had to do with the plague. Ring around the rosey. If you had the plague you got a red ring around your body. Pocket full of posey. People kept flowers in their pockets to hide the smell of rotting flesh. Ashes, ashes we all fall down. Eventually the body rots and you fall down and die.