A seemingly scary nursery rhyme: a children’s song that gives you the chills when you hear it
When you think of children’s songs, you probably picture the cute tunes kids sing in daycare or kindergarten.
But did you know that some of them have chillingly scary lyrics when you listen to the whole song? In this article, we’ve gathered nursery rhymes that turn out to be frightening once you dig into the lyrics.
You’ll also learn the intriguing backgrounds behind these songs—not just the scare factor—so if there’s a nursery rhyme you’ve always wondered about or never quite understood the meaning of since you were a child, be sure to check it out!
Actually scary nursery rhymes: children's songs that give you the chills (1–10)
London BridgeBritish folk song
A traditional song born in England and beloved around the world.
Its cheerful melody, which describes a bridge collapsing, is something many people have heard at least once.
However, it’s said that behind the lyrics lurks a terrifying legend about “hitobashira,” the practice of sacrificing people for the construction of a bridge.
Some even interpret the repeatedly sung phrase “My fair lady,” with its elegant ring, as referring to a woman offered as a sacrifice—an interpretation that completely transforms the work’s impression.
This is a piece we especially recommend to those interested in historical mysteries and the hidden stories within songs.
teru teru bozu (a traditional Japanese handmade doll hung to wish for good weather)Lyrics by Kyomura Asahara / Music by Shinpei Nakayama
A nursery rhyme about a little doll made from white cloth or paper that you hang up when you absolutely want clear weather.
Many people likely sang it while hanging one under the eaves or by a window the day before a field trip or sports day when they were young.
Its origins are debated, but in Japan it’s said that the third verse refers to a monk who failed at a rainmaking ritual, was beheaded, and whose head was wrapped in white cloth and hung up—after which the weather turned fine.
In China, there are also legends involving human sacrifice.
Despite its cute melody, it’s a children’s song whose terrifying folklore is hard to imagine.
Kagome Kagomechildren’s song
A children’s game where everyone circles around the “oni” (the tagger) while singing, and when the song ends, the oni has to guess who is directly behind them.
The accompanying nursery rhyme varies slightly in lyrics and interpretation across different regions, and it’s also known for the many anecdotes and urban legends surrounding it.
These range from vivid images—such as a pregnant woman pushed by her brother-in-law or a courtesan unable to escape a surveilled environment—to claims that the location of the Tokugawa buried treasure is hidden within it, making its origins notoriously difficult to trace.
Among nursery rhymes rich in lore and tradition, this one is particularly famous and shrouded in mystery.
Seven-year-old childLyrics by Ujō Noguchi / Music by Nagayo Motoori
It’s a beloved song everyone knows, layering a parent’s deep love for their child onto the cawing of crows echoing in the evening sky.
Yet behind its gentle melody lie many mysteries that powerfully stir the listener’s imagination.
Some say the lyrics reflect the personal sorrow of their author, Ujō Noguchi, while others believe it tells of a father working in a coal mine, thinking of the children he left in his hometown.
The more you learn, the more a melancholy story seems to emerge.
Listening while contemplating the profound tale behind the words may reveal something far more moving than a simple children’s song.
Dona DonaYiddish folk song
A foreign folk song that conjures a melancholy scene of a calf being carried away on a horse-drawn cart.
Set to a plaintive melody, the powerless calf bound by fate contrasts with the swallow freely soaring through the sky—an opposition that resonates deeply with listeners.
In fact, it’s said that behind the song lies a history of persecution, expressing a yearning for freedom.
Although first presented in a stage play in 1940, it became widely known in Japan after it was broadcast on NHK’s program Minna no Uta in 1966.
By reflecting on its sorrowful history, we may come to grasp the work’s true meaning.
I Stepped on the CatComposer unknown
Set to a lively piano tune beloved around the world, this piece features lyrics by songwriter Hiroo Sakata.
The story unfolds as the protagonist steps on a cat and scolds it, and in the end, the cat flies off beyond the sky—a slightly mysterious tale.
Though the ending carries a hint of black humor, one of the song’s charms is that it makes the story easy and fun to remember.
That said, if it had been created in today’s world, where animal abuse is a serious issue, no matter how cute the melody, society might not have accepted it.
SacchanLyrics by Hiroo Sakata / Music by Megumi Oonaka
A children’s song said to have been written by children’s author Hiroo Sakata, based on a girl he met in his childhood.
Known for its perfection—Sakata claimed there was “not a single word or phrase to change”—it famously rejects all requests for alterations, such as foreign-language lyrics or commercial jingle adaptations.
While most people only know up to the third verse, it’s rumored to have as many as ten, and many have long heard urban legends linking it to the ghost story “Teketeke,” among others.
Its gentle, unhurried melody ironically heightens the sense of eeriness, making it a children’s song that’s major in the realm of urban legends.