This Saturday (June 1st) marks another historical anniversary of special note, according to our In-Resident Forgotten Hits Music and Poetry Historian, Chuck Buell!
Chuck tells us ...
It was on this day, June 1, 1927, that Lizzie Bordon, suspected of murdering her stepmother and father in 1892 (but acquitted of the charge because of circumstantial evidence), died herself!
The murders are still debated to this day as to whether or not Lizzie was truly guilty of the crimes.
But the event resulted in a popular, while factually inaccurate, nursery rhyme ~~~
Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
This poem was often chanted during an everyday rope-skipping rhyme where young girls would start with the last number in the verse, “41,” and continue counting with each following rope skip, “2-3-4-5-6” and so on, with the goal of not missing until they had successfully skipped the rope 41 times in a row or more!
And now this special warning for you, in case you get a similar email as I did earlier today.
DON’T OPEN IT!
“Chuck,
Do not accept any friend requests you might receive from my Parents!
They have been hacked!
Lizzie”
(Can you believe this was a Top 40 Hit in 1962?!?!)
