Apart from the educational nursery rhymes, there were some rhymes that were composed to teach new words and also tell kids not to ask for more stories.
This rhyme is a unique one as it was designed to discourage kids from asking to tell more stories.
It was used as an ending rhyme in a storytelling session.
Learning the Nursery Rhyme Jack a Nory
Kids love to listen to stories and rhymes back in the 18th century and onwards. It was one of the few entertainment mediums they had. Rhymes and stories were generally told by the parents and other elderly members of the family or clan. When the elder members were tired of telling stories, they used this unique rhyme to end the session. Let us find out the lyrics of this rhyme and then the meaning first.
Teacher Telling Stories
Jack a Nory Nursery Rhyme Lyrics
Here are the lyrics of this nursery rhyme.
I’ll tell you a story
About Jack-a-Nory,
And now my story’s begun;
I’ll tell you another,
About Jack and his brother,
And now my story is done.
It seems that this is not like the popular and conventional nursery rhymes that kids love to memorise. It has a different ending and an unconventional tone. Let us find out the meaning of the lyrics.
Meaning of Jack a Nory Lyrics
It is a six-line nursery rhyme. The first line depicts that the storyteller wants to tell a story. He wants to tell a story about a man named Jack a Nory. He continues by saying that his story now begins after telling the name of the man in this story.
As we progress to the next line, the storyteller says that he will tell the kids another story. The kids in the audience will be surprised that the first story did not even begin or end. They will wait to listen to the next story with the hope that it will begin and end properly.
In the next line, the storyteller will explain that this story is about Jack and his brother. The kids will be hooked but the storyteller will abruptly end the rhyme saying that this is the end of the story.
We can clearly understand that this rhyme has a different motive. It was used to kill the enthusiasm of the kids who want to listen to more stories and rhymes. This method was used to make the kids stop when it’s too late and the storyteller has no other stories left to tell.
Significance of Jack a Nory Rhyme
This version of the Jack nursery rhymes is one of the most interesting and unique ones. In this version, kids will learn that there is a man named Jack a Nory and he has a brother. It is then the story abruptly ends and the storyteller does not proceed any further.
If we look back at history, kids love to listen to stories from the elder members. The elder members of the family were unable to tell them stories all day long. This is why an unknown composer came up with this neat trick to kill the enthusiasm of the kids.
The abrupt end of this rhyme depicts that it was a tool to get rid of the urge to tell stories one after the other in the mid-18th century.
An Old Man Tired of Telling Stories
Tips for Parents
Parents can teach this rhyme to the kids and explain the implication. Kids who are older than kindergartens will understand the use of it. Apart from its prime motive, this rhyme teaches rhyming words story, begun, done, brother, another, etc.
FAQs on Jack A Nory: a Unique Nursery Rhyme
1. What is the first story mentioned in the rhyme?
The first story in this rhyme is about a man named Jack a Nory.
2. What rhymes with Jack?
Words that rhyme with Jack are black, back, rack, crack, etc.
3. What is the second story here?
The second story is about Jack and his brother but it ends abruptly too.
Apart from the educational nursery rhymes, there were some rhymes that were composed to teach new words and also tell kids not to ask for more stories.
This rhyme is a unique one as it was designed to discourage kids from asking to tell more stories.
It was used as an ending rhyme in a storytelling session.
