Nursery rhymes that make you wonder

veryangryman

Mother duck said quack quack quack quack, but none of the 5 little ducks came back.

That mother would wanna get the finger out and go look for them.

Gregor Samsa

In the first four verses, we're informed that the one duck each time does not come back. But the final verse is:

One little duck went out one day,

Over the hills and far away.

Mummy duck said, "quack quack quack quack,"

And all of the five little ducks came back.

Not sure what kind of delinquent ducks you're hanging around with, but the mother duck in the rhyme gets them all back in the end.

veryangryman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796486#Comment_121796486

Yeah but not through anything she did. Social services would be called in real life. That is if ducks had social services. Even in real life she might actually go looking for them

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796912#Comment_121796912

Do you speak duck? The "quack quack quack quack" in the first four verses could be her telling them to go off and play, but to be careful. Which they do. Despite them being "over the hills and far away", she's clearly within earshot of them. "far away" is relative to a duck, not a human, and may only be a matter of metres.

Then the "quack quack quack quack" in the last line could be her instructing them to come back immediately, which they clearly do.

When you're using a language with such a limited vocabulary as ducks are, a lot of detail can be missed in the translation.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121796912#Comment_121796912

The ducks were adult children who left home as adult children do, but just came back because they went to Dublin and coundn't find a place to live.

Vita nova

The Old Woman that 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.

Where were the child protection agencies?

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121797161#Comment_121797161

It's like Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy (movies, I know its different in the comics). The entire language consists of I am groot, but depending on the intonation, they mean different things.

Also, ducks have different dialects. In Belfast Quack, quack! means "Walk faster you dose"

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121798357#Comment_121798357

Ruby Franke

Archeron

Poor Humpty Dumpty should never have had access to that unsafe unprotected area in the first place.

And of all the kings horses and all the kings men, not one was a qualified first aider. Workplace negligence.

Pauliedragon

Rock a bye baby. Who puts a baby up a tree unless your off your tree yourself. Tusla will be very busy when I give them a call.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121799470#Comment_121799470

I've always wondered - why is he portrayed as an egg?