Oranges and lemons

"Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.

You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.

When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.

When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.

I do not know,
Says the great bell of Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!"

I had this famour nursery rhyme in the head today. Well, not the whole thing, just the beginning... and the end. I know it, of course, from 1984. I know very little about traditional English nursery rhymes. You can read more about its history here. According to Wikipedia, it represents "the near-complete eradication of shared culture". I just think it is deliciously sinister. Like many nursery rhymes and old fairy tales, there is something simply terrifying about those lines. Like an old hidden threat about to bring doom to a seemingly idyllic environment. Orwell understood this well. The orange in A Clockwork Orange, was supposed to signify human (orang is "man" in Malay). I always wondered if it had not been inspired by this nursery rhyme and by its presence in Orwell's classic. Anyway, read it aloud and see if you shiver. I know I do.