Goosey, Goosey Gander

 Goosey goosey gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady's chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs

Goosey Goosey Gander is quite a horrid children’s poem at face value, with a goose throwing someone down the stairs. Delving deeper, it’s likely a reference to times of religious intolerance, namely anti-Catholicism in England’s history. Catholic priests were sometimes hidden away in secret chambers in homes, but if found everyone in the residence were severely punished, if not put to death. The theory of it being a reference to those of the Catholic faith is due to the mention of not saying prayers, as typically the prayers of those in the Catholic faith were spoken in Latin at the time. The idea being thrown down the stairs would be a light punishment for anyone found hiding in secret chambers, but any harsher wording of that would be far too heavy for a child’s poem.

 http://www.funlinksdaily.com/10-nursery-rhymes-with-dark-origins/