Can someone explain this nursery rhyme to me?

McKayMachina

:laugh: Yes, I'm serious.

There's a man I'm talking to who's thin and trying to gain weight. I'm fat and trying to lose weight. It's comical.

But it reminds me of the Jack Sprat rhyme! I never understood what this meant and it has always bugged me!



Is that a joke, like "licking doesn't count as eating" or did they just pick off of each others' plates, him taking the veggies and her taking the fried chicken? Or something else entirely?! lol HALPZ!!1!

:drinker:

Glam0809

Between the two of them, he ate the lean, she ate the fat!

JediMaster_intraining

bahahaha :laugh:


i don't know but it's funny

DiabeticAlien

I always took it to mean they cut the fat off the meat, she ate it, he at the lean meat.

kennethmgreen

If you and I were married and you would eat no sauce (only ate noodles) and I would eat no noodles (only ate sauce) and we ate spaghetti all the time, then our plates would be clean because we each refused to eat what the other liked. So it all works out.

Or, this:

Jack Sprat rhyme
Origin to words of Jack Sprat can be found in British History!
The Jack Sprat alluded to in this English poem is reputed to be King Charles I (1625-1649) and Henrietta Maria, his Queen (1609-1669). Apparently, when King Charles (Jack Sprat) declared war on Spain, parliament refused to finance him (leaving him lean!) So his wife imposed an illegal war tax (to get some fat!) after the angered King (Jack Sprat) dissolved Parliament.
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/jack_sprat.htm

atd81

I always took it to mean they cut the fat off the meat, she ate it, he at the lean meat.

^What he said. He ate the lean meat, she ate the fat, and they would eat everything off their plates.

jamielise2

I always took it to mean that she ate all the fatty stuff and he ate all the healthy stuff, so there was nothing left on the plate.

dcmat

Thank you Mr Google....

The Jack Sprat alluded to in this English poem is reputed to be King Charles I (1625-1649) and Henrietta Maria, his Queen (1609-1669). Apparently, when King Charles (Jack Sprat) declared war on Spain, parliament refused to finance him (leaving him lean!) So his wife imposed an illegal war tax (to get some fat!) after the angered King (Jack Sprat) dissolved Parliament.

McKayMachina

@kenneth and dcmat:

I'd heard something like that before. But I am interested in the simplistic, nursery rhyme explanation.

Looks like I'm just over-thinking it. Thx, everyone!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: