You probably think you know the Old Mother Hubbard rhyme by heart. It’s that short, slightly depressing nursery rhyme about a woman who goes to her cupboard, finds it bare, and her poor dog has to go without a bone. End of story, right? Honestly, it’s not. Most of us only know the first four lines, but the actual poem is a marathon of absurdity involving a dog that smokes a pipe, rides a goat, and pretends to be dead. It is weird.
The history behind these verses is even weirder than a dog wearing a wig.
While we treat it as a cute bedtime story today, the origins of Old Mother Hubbard are tangled in political satire, 16th-century court gossip, and the massive success of a 19th-century book that basically became the first viral "meme" for children. If you’ve ever wondered why a woman would buy her dog a flute or why the cupboard was empty in the first place, you're looking at a piece of folklore that has survived centuries of shifting meanings.
The Sarah Catherine Martin Mystery
In 1805, a woman named Sarah Catherine Martin published The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and her Dog. This is the version we recognize. Legend says she wrote it while staying at the house of John Pollexfen Bastard (yes, that was his name) in Devon, England. She was supposedly mocking the local housekeeper or perhaps just trying to entertain the children.
The book was a smash hit.
It sold ten thousand copies in just a few months, which was unheard of for the early 1800s. People weren't used to children's books that were purely for fun. Before this, most "literature" for kids was designed to scare them into being good Christians or to teach them how to count beans. Martin’s rhyme was different because it was nonsensical.
However, Martin didn't "invent" the character. The name Mother Hubbard had been floating around English literature for centuries before 1805. Spenser used it in Prosopopoia, or Mother Hubberd’s Tale back in 1591. That version wasn't about a dog; it was a biting political satire about a fox and an ape. So, when Martin sat down to write her version, she was tapping into a name that already felt "old" and familiar to her audience.
The Catholic Church and the "Empty Cupboard" Theory
If you hang out in history forums long enough, you’ll run into the theory that the Old Mother Hubbard rhyme is actually a secret code about Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
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Here is the breakdown of that specific rabbit hole:
Wolsey was the "Mother Hubbard" figure. He was the most powerful man in England under Henry VIII, at least until he failed to get the King an annulment from Catherine of Aragon. In this interpretation, the "dog" represents the King, and the "bone" is the divorce/annulment Henry so desperately wanted. The "empty cupboard" refers to the Catholic Church’s refusal to grant the divorce, leaving the "dog" (Henry) with nothing.
Does this hold water?
Probably not.
Most serious folklorists, like Iona and Peter Opie—who literally wrote the book on nursery rhymes (The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes)—are skeptical of these "hidden political meaning" theories. They argue that people love to project historical drama onto simple rhymes after the fact. While the names might overlap with political figures, the specific actions in the poem don't align perfectly with Wolsey's downfall. Sometimes a cupboard is just a cupboard.
Why the Full Poem is Absolutely Bonkers
We need to talk about the verses no one reads anymore. After the bone incident, the rhyme continues for another dozen stanzas.
It becomes a fever dream.
Mother Hubbard goes to the baker to buy him some bread, and when she comes back, the dog is dead. She runs to the undertaker to buy him a coffin, and when she comes back, the dog is laughing. This "Dead/Laughing" trope repeats. She goes to the hatter, the dog is wearing a wig. She goes to the barber, the dog is riding a jig.
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- She went to the cobbler’s to buy him some shoes;
- When she came back he was reading the news.
- She went to the seamstress to buy him a linen;
- When she came back the dog was a-spinning.
The dog eventually starts smoking a pipe and dressing in fine clothes. It’s a classic "topsy-turvy" narrative. These were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries because they allowed children to imagine a world where the natural order was flipped. The dog isn't just a pet; he’s a sophisticated, trolling roommate who refuses to behave like an animal.
The Cultural Longevity of the Bare Cupboard
Why does this specific rhyme stick? Why not some other poem about a cat in a hat? (Well, that one stuck too, but you get the point).
The image of the empty cupboard is a universal fear. It taps into "food insecurity," though we wouldn't have called it that in 1805. For a historical audience, a bare cupboard wasn't a minor inconvenience; it was a disaster. By pairing that genuine anxiety with a dog doing a dance, the rhyme balances tension and release.
It’s also incredibly fun to recite.
The dactylic meter—Old Moth-er Hub-bard—has a galloping rhythm that makes it easy for kids to memorize. It’s a mnemonic masterpiece. This is why it has been parodied by everyone from Mark Twain to modern political cartoonists. Whenever a politician wants to talk about a budget deficit, they inevitably reach for the "Mother Hubbard" metaphor. It’s shorthand for "we’ve run out of resources."
Artistic Variations and the Visual Legacy
Because the Old Mother Hubbard rhyme was a visual hit as much as a literary one, the illustrations matter. The original 1805 engravings showed a very specific type of cottage life. Later, during the Victorian era, illustrators like Walter Crane and Randolph Caldecott gave the rhyme a makeover.
In these versions, the dog is often depicted as a poodle or a terrier, and the house becomes more ornate. The "Mother Hubbard" dress—a long, loose-fitting gown—actually became a fashion trend in the late 19th century. Mothers would dress their children in "Mother Hubbard" coats. It’s one of the few times a nursery rhyme influenced the garment industry.
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Modern Interpretations and Misconceptions
One big misconception is that the rhyme is about poverty in a tragic sense.
Actually, the poem ends quite happily. The dog and Mother Hubbard eventually settle into a weird, respectful stalemate. The final verse says:
The dame made a curtsy, the dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant," the dog said, "Bow-wow."
They are equals. This was a radical idea for 1805—the idea that a pet could have a personality and a "servant" relationship with its owner. It reflects a shift in how Western society began to view domestic animals. They weren't just workers; they were companions.
How to Use This Rhyme Today
If you’re a parent or a teacher, don't stop at the first verse. The "bone" part is the most boring bit.
Kids love the absurdity of the later verses. It’s a great tool for teaching "predictive reading." You can ask a child, "She went to the fruit shop to buy him some fruit... what was the dog doing when she came back?" (The original says he was playing the flute). It encourages wordplay and rhyming skills.
Actionable Insights for Folklore Enthusiasts
To truly appreciate the Old Mother Hubbard rhyme, you should look beyond the surface level:
- Read the full 15 verses: Don't settle for the truncated version found in modern board books. The full cycle of the dog’s "deaths" and "resurrections" is much more engaging for children.
- Check out the "Mother Hubbard" fashion: Search for Victorian-era "Mother Hubbard" dresses to see how the rhyme jumped from the page to the closet.
- Compare with "Mother Goose": Note the difference in tone. Mother Hubbard is a specific narrative adventure, whereas many Mother Goose rhymes are short snippets of social commentary.
- Trace the political cartoons: If you’re a history buff, look through 19th-century newspaper archives (like the British Newspaper Archive) to see how "The Cupboard was Bare" was used to criticize government spending.
The Old Mother Hubbard rhyme isn't just a relic of the past. It’s a testament to the fact that humans have always loved stories about smart-aleck pets and the chaotic struggle to keep the pantry full. Whether it’s a 16th-century satire or a 19th-century picture book, Mother Hubbard remains the patron saint of "making do" with an empty cupboard and a dog that refuses to act his age.
To explore this further, you can look into the Opies' research on the "topsy-turvy" world of English nursery lore, which explains why we find "nonsense" so vital to early childhood development. Understanding the rhythm and the history makes those four simple lines about a cupboard feel a lot more substantial.