There Was a Crooked Man

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There Was a Crooked Man is an English nursery rhyme.

There was a crooked man,

and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence

upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat,

which caught a crooked mouse,

and they all lived together in a crooked little house.

1 Variations
2 Origin
3 Cultural references
4 References

[edit] Variations

There was a crooked man,

who he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence

beside a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat,

who caught a crooked mouse,

and they all lived together in a little crooked house.

There was a crooked man,

who walked a crooked mile.

He carried a crooked cane,

and wore a crooked smile.

He followed a crooked path,

to his crooked house,

Where waited his crooked cat,

Clutching a crooked mouse.

[edit] Origin

It has been suggested^[1] that the rhyme refers to Charles I's rule over England, Scotland and Ireland. Specifically, it has been suggested that the "crooked man" whose story is told in the rhyme is actually Alexander Leslie, while the stile is the border between England and Scotland, the house being a symbol of agreement between the opposing forces and groups.

[edit] Cultural references

A reference to the "Crooked House" is made in Agatha Christie's 1949 novel of the same name.
The rhyme is also adapted in a manga by Kaori Yuki.
Roman Dirge tells an altogether darker, more gothic version of the tale of the Crooked Man in an issue of his comic book series, "Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl".
A science fiction novella, published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact (February, 1967) by Jack Wodhams is titled "There Is a Crooked Man".
A science fiction short story, published in Astounding Science Fiction (February 1941) by Robert A. Heinlein is titled "—And He Built a Crooked House—".
British Glam-Rock band Slade uses a reference about this rhyme on "Did yer Mama ever tell ya".
The Doctor in charge of the Everafter Asilum from the up comic "Everafter" is the reference to that Crooked Man.
A Western film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1970
The song was recorded, with the title "Don't Let the Rain Come Down," by the Serendipity Singers in 1964. The final verse:

Now this crooked little man and his crooked cat and mouse
They all live together in a crooked little house.
Has a crooked door with a crooked little latch;
Has a crooked roof with a crooked little patch.