August 15. Story of the Day: John Ball

I first found this cumulative rhyme in Stories Children Love by Charles Welsh. It is classified as Roud 20206.

Halliwell is willing to speculate (reference) that the John Ball referred to here is the same John Ball of the 14th-century Peasant Rebellion; that doesn't seem likely to me, but, as often with the old nursery rhymes, who's to say?

What is more certain is that the modern children's book Drummer Hoff was inspired by this rhyme; you can read about that here in the Wikipedia article: "Ed Emberley explained that the book was adapted from the rhyme John Ball Shot Them All." And here's an excerpt from Emberley's Caldecott acceptance speech:

John Ball shooting them all did not seem an appropriate ending to the tale, and so the refrain was changed to "Drummer Hoff fired it off."

(Ed Emberley did the illustrations, and his wife, Barbara, wrote the text.)

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE STORY OF JOHN BALL

(Nursery Rhymes by W. Gannon)

John Ball shot them all.

John Scott made the shot,
But John Ball shot them all.

John Brammer made the rammer,
And John Scott made the shot,
But John Ball shot them all.

John Wyming made the priming,
And John Brammer made the rammer,
And John Scott made the shot,
But John Ball shot them all.

John Block made the stock,
And John Brammer made the rammer,
And John Wyming made the priming,
And John Scott made the shot,
But John Ball shot them all.

John Crowder made the powder,
And John Block made the stock,
And John Wyming made the priming,
And John Brammer made the rammer,
And John Scott made the shot,
But John Ball shot them all.

John Puzzle made the muzzle,
And John Crowder made the powder,
And John Block made the stock,
And John Wyming made the priming,
And John Brammer made the rammer,
And John Scott made the shot,
But John Ball shot them all.