# Jack and Jill

"Jack and Jill" is an English nursery rhyme in print since about 1765, in which two children fetching water tumble down a hill; the many stories about who they "really" were all came later and have no evidence.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | c. 1765 |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jack-and-jill/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Jack and Jill went up a hill,
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

## Common questions

**How old is "Jack and Jill"?**

The earliest known version is from about 1765, in a reprint of John Newbery's "Mother Goose's Melody". The first verse everyone knows is the original; the later verses about vinegar and brown paper were added afterwards.

**Is the rhyme about King Charles I, or a beheading?**

Those are among several theories — including links to Icelandic myth, to two men executed in 1510, and to a tax on liquid measures — but as the Oxford scholars note, almost all of them come after the rhyme was first printed and none has any supporting evidence.

**Why would children go uphill for water?**

It sounds odd, but it was ordinary: in many places water was collected from dew ponds, which were dug on hilltops. So a pair of children climbing a hill with a pail is simply a scene from everyday rural life.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — Jack and Jill (nursery rhyme)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_and_Jill)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6115950