The Solomon Grundy rhyme dates back to the 19th century England and together with Early to bed or Wynken and Blynken and Nod are very well known as poems and traditional nursery rhymes.
Solomon Grundy poem was first recorded in 1842 by nursery rhyme and fairy-tale collector James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps. The song was translated in different languages including French, German or Italian. Being very easy to memorize, Solomon Grundy is used as a tool to teach kids the days of the week.
Solomon Grundy Poem Meaning
The song is telling the story of Solomon Grundy, a man who, metaphorically, lives and dies his entire life in one single week. Born on Monday, each day of the week he is growing older facing a different stage of his life, and his life ends on Saturday.
Solomon Grundy born on a Monday, became a character of urban legends and comics. To scare children who are not wise, it is said that Solomon Grundy will return on Monday, in a similar way to a bogeyman.
There are many suggestions that Solomon Grundy phonetically derived from the food with the same name which is a pickled fish pâté, with salad and eggs.
The word for the English dish comes from the Salmagundi, an ingredient used in Solomon Grundy, originally a Jamaican mix of meat and salad, adapted into French Cuisine around the 17th century and then English cuisine around the 18th century.
Solomon Grundy Nursery Rhyme Lyrics
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy.