# Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" is an English nursery rhyme in print by about 1744; its riddling questions have been read as codes about Tudor queens and religion, but none of those readings is proven.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | c. 1744 |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mary-mary-quite-contrary/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

## Common questions

**How old is "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"?**

The earliest known version was published around 1744, in "Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book". There is no proof the rhyme existed before the eighteenth century.

**Is it secretly about Mary I or Mary, Queen of Scots?**

Those are the two most popular theories — reading the "garden", the "silver bells" and the "pretty maids" as coded references to a Tudor queen's reign, religion or ladies-in-waiting. They make a good story, but they are guesswork with no supporting evidence, and were attached to the rhyme long after it was written.

**So what does "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" really mean?**

Most likely nothing hidden at all. It is a little riddling verse about a contrary girl and an oddly-planted garden of bells and shells — the kind of pretty nonsense nursery rhymes are full of.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Mary,_Quite_Contrary)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4043768