THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN

Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread.
Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

Midi: There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe

The 'Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe' referred to the British Empire trying to control its colonies. We think of the shape of Italy as a boot or shoe, but in this rhyme it’s the British Isles. The old woman was Parliament, who couldn't quite look after her many colonial children in the far-flung British Empire.




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