We've all done it. You grab hands, form a shaky circle, and shuffle in a loop while singing about a bush that doesn't actually exist in most of the places where the song is popular. It’s a childhood staple. But honestly, the history of here we go round the mulberry bush is way weirder—and potentially much darker—than your average kindergarten teacher lets on.
Most people think it's just a catchy ditty about morning chores. Wash your face, comb your hair, look presentable for the world. Simple, right? Not really. When you actually dig into the roots of this rhyme, you find yourself staring at the walls of a Victorian prison or debating the botanical impossibility of a "bush" that is actually a massive tree. It’s one of those things where the more you look, the more the innocent veneer starts to peel away.
The Wakefield Prison Theory: Exercise or Incarceration?
The most persistent and, frankly, fascinating theory about the origin of here we go round the mulberry bush links it directly to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. This isn't just some internet rumor; it’s a piece of local lore that has some serious legs. According to the story, female prisoners were made to exercise around a specific mulberry tree in the prison yard.
RS Duncan, a former governor of the prison, actually backed this up in his book "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush: The House of Correction to the Mulberry Bush." He suggested that the "cold and frosty morning" wasn't just a poetic touch—it was the literal reality of Victorian-era prisoner exercise routines at 6:00 AM. Imagine these women, struggling through the freezing Yorkshire air, keeping pace by chanting about the very chores they were no longer free to do in their own homes.
It puts a grim spin on "this is the way we wash our clothes," doesn't it? In a prison laundry, that isn't a nursery game. It's hard, back-breaking labor.
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But wait.
Historians like to argue. Some say the tree at Wakefield—which actually died and was removed in 2019 due to a beetle infestation—wasn't old enough to have inspired the original rhyme. They point out that mulberry trees are notoriously slow-growing but don't live forever. Was the tree planted to commemorate the song, or did the song come from the tree? It’s a chicken-and-egg situation that keeps folklorists up at night.
Why a Mulberry Bush Isn't Actually a Bush
Here is a fun fact to drop at your next trivia night: there is no such thing as a mulberry bush.
Mulberries grow on trees. Big ones. Morus alba (white mulberry) and Morus nigra (black mulberry) can reach heights of 30 to 50 feet. If you tried to skip "around" a mature mulberry tree, you’d be taking a very long walk.
So why the "bush"?
Some suggest it’s a linguistic drift. In old English, "bush" and "tree" were sometimes used more interchangeably in common parlance, or perhaps it referred to a young sapling. Or, more likely, it just fit the meter of the song better. "Here we go round the mulberry tree" just doesn't have the same percussive snap.
There's also the agricultural angle. Mulberry trees were central to the silk industry. King James I famously tried to start a British silk industry by planting thousands of mulberry trees. The problem? He planted the wrong ones. Silk worms prefer the white mulberry, but he planted the black ones. The industry flopped. Some historians wonder if the "round and round" motion of the song mimics the winding of silk from cocoons, though that’s a bit of a reach for most mainstream scholars.
The Structure of the Song and Its Missing Verses
The version of here we go round the mulberry bush we sing today is sanitized. It’s a "game of imitation." Kids learn how to mimic daily life. But the repetitive nature serves a specific psychological purpose.
The rhythm is a 6/8 time signature. It’s a gallop.
- The Wake-Up: "This is the way we wash our face."
- The Grooming: "This is the way we comb our hair."
- The Chore: "This is the way we sweep the floor."
- The Departure: "This is the way we go to school."
Every verse ends with that hauntingly cheery "on a cold and frosty morning." In the 1800s, a cold and frosty morning meant your water basin was likely frozen solid. You had to break the ice just to wash. The song wasn't just teaching hygiene; it was teaching a routine of survival.
James Orchard Halliwell, a famous 19th-century collector of nursery rhymes, noted variations of the song as early as the mid-1840s. He saw it as a "marriage dance" or a "May-game." In some older versions, the lyrics weren't about chores at all. They were about the struggle of daily life in poverty-stricken rural areas.
The Psychology of the Circle Game
Why do kids love this song? It’s the circle.
Psychologically, the circle represents safety and community. By holding hands and moving in unison, children develop "social entrainment." They are literally moving as one body. When you add the lyrics of here we go round the mulberry bush, you are adding a layer of social instruction.
"This is the way we... [Insert Socially Acceptable Behavior Here]."
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It’s a powerful tool for indoctrination. That sounds heavy for a playground, but it’s true. Nursery rhymes are the first way we teach children the "rules" of being a human in our specific culture. We are telling them that even when it’s cold, even when it’s frosty, you get up, you wash, you work, and you do it with a smile (or at least a song).
Comparing the Mulberry Bush to "Ring a Ring o' Roses"
You can't talk about the dark side of nursery rhymes without mentioning the Great Plague. Everyone "knows" that Ring a Ring o' Roses is about the Black Death. (Side note: Most folklorists actually think that’s a myth made up after WWII, but the legend persists).
The difference with here we go round the mulberry bush is that its "dark" origin—the Wakefield Prison theory—is actually documented by people who worked there. While the Plague connection to Ring a Ring o' Roses is likely a retrospective fantasy, the prison connection to the Mulberry Bush feels more grounded in the grim reality of the Industrial Revolution.
Wakefield was a "House of Correction." It was designed to "correct" behavior through repetitive, soul-crushing labor and exercise. The song fits that mold perfectly.
Variations Around the World
It's not just an English thing.
In Scandinavia, they have Saa gaa vi rundt om en Enebærbusk (Here we go round a juniper bush). The Dutch have their own version. The "bush" changes based on what’s growing locally, but the "round and round" never does.
This suggests the song is older than the Wakefield Prison. It’s likely a "Type 1" folk song—something that evolved from ancient May Day rituals. In these rituals, people would dance around a sacred tree (the Maypole is a remnant of this) to ensure fertility and a good harvest. When the pagan roots faded, the song stayed, but the meaning shifted to something more "civilized" like washing your face.
How to Use This Knowledge Today
If you're a parent or a teacher, knowing the history of here we go round the mulberry bush doesn't mean you have to stop singing it. But it does give you a chance to turn it into a lesson.
- Talk about the plants: Ask kids why we call it a bush if it's a tree. It’s a great intro to botany and how language changes.
- Discuss the "Frosty Morning": It’s a way to talk about life before electricity and indoor plumbing. How did people stay clean? Why was it so much harder back then?
- The Power of Routine: Use the song to help kids who struggle with transitions. If they know the "order" of the morning, like the song dictates, it can actually reduce anxiety.
Actionable Steps for the Curious
If you want to dive deeper into the rabbit hole of folk history, don't just take my word for it.
First, check out the Wakefield Museum archives if you're ever in the UK; they have fascinating records on the prison's history and the mulberry tree legend. Second, look up the Opies' (Iona and Peter Opie) work. They were the absolute titans of nursery rhyme research in the 20th century. Their book, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, is basically the bible for this stuff.
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Lastly, try to find a real mulberry tree. They are rare in modern suburban landscaping because the berries are incredibly messy—they’ll stain your sidewalk, your car, and your dog deep purple for weeks. But once you see one, you'll realize just how weird it is that we've been singing about "going round" a 40-foot tall, sprawling giant for centuries.
The reality of these songs is rarely as simple as a "cold and frosty morning." They are echoes of the past, carrying the weight of prison walls, failed silk industries, and ancient spring dances into the modern playroom. Keep singing, but maybe keep one eye on the history behind the lyrics. It’s a lot more interesting than just washing your face.