Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber
There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,
I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.
The rhyme is thought to have dated back to the 16th century, in which Catholics and Protestants were rivals. There is reference to the necessity for Catholic priests to go into hiding, seeking shelter in 'priest holes' The purpose of the lyrics was to imply something bad would happen anybody found guilty of heresy.
Goosey Goosey Gander where shall I wander,
Why goosey goosey gander: The helmets of the parliamentarians (round heads) resembled the shape of a ganders head. Also they was known for their goose-step marching. Here is an example:
Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber
Ladies chamber: A chamber is fancy room that a high born lady would have had to herself.
During the early stages, priest would often hide in a room such as this, in an attempt to avoid capture and execution. However despite the hopefulness of the priest, the parliamentarians would also have searched the ladies chamber, as the rhyme states.
There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,
I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.
This line portrays the story of a round-head, who was of the protestant religion, finding a catholic who is rightly accused of heresy. The old man, whom i believe to be a priest, is said to not be saying his prayers; this basically means that he would not recite protestant prayers, instead opting to stay true to his own religion. Another indication in the rhyme that suggests that the man found was a catholic is the fact he has been taken by his left leg. Catholics in Britain were often referred to as 'left-footers.'
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