Poem of the Day - Part 22

Poem of the Day
Ride a Cock Horse

There's an old English nursery rhyme that goes like this:

        Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,

        To see a fine lady upon a white horse;

        Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,

        She shall have music wherever she goes.

But there are many alternative versions of the rhyme, and no one knows which version is the original one.  In one version, it's an old lady, not a fine lady.  In another version, which I like the best, it's not a lady at all:

        Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,

        To buy little Johnny a galloping horse;

        It trots behind and it ambles before,

        And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.

The earliest reference to the rhyme, in 1725, says "now on cock-horse does he ride," which might indicate that the male version is the original one.

A "cock horse" has been interpreted as a number of things, including a high-spirited horse, an additional horse for pulling a cart up a hill, an uncastrated male horse, or a child's hobby horse.

I couldn't resist adding another interpretation.  Judging from the expression on the guy above, the guy he's riding is quite possibly horse-hung.  And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more!