If you have a child that has trouble going to sleep, or if you have been (or are) that child, then you are likely familiar with “Wee Willie Winkie.” It’s the go-to nursery rhyme for anyone who has contended with a stubborn kid at bedtime.
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“Wee Willie Winkie” has been around for the better part of two centuries. Scottish poet William MIller published the full five-stanza version of the nursery rhyme in 1841. The first stanza dates back at least as far as 1820. Miller’s version, written in Scots, first appeared in a volume entitled Whistle-Binkie: Stories for the Social Circle. An English version, which is the better-known one in the U.S., was published in 1844.
The namesake for the title character was King William III, who was sometimes referred to as “Willie Winkie.” The character doesn’t have anything to do with the English monarch, though. How one understands the role of Wee Willie Winkie in the nursery rhyme depends on which parts of it you’re familiar with. This has created some confusion about “Wee Willie Winkie’s” meaning. While we’re here to clear up misconceptions around the story, its bottom line is clear. It’s time to go to sleep.
Enforcing Bedtime or Ignoring It?
Many people are only familiar with the first stanza of “Wee Willie Winkie.” From hearing that portion of the nursery rhyme, one could easily conclude that the title character’s role is to make sure all of the children are in bed by their appointed time.
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock
“Are the children in their bed, for it’s past 10 o’clock”
As we move into the second stanza, we realize that Willie is one of the children who should be in bed. He’s not “tapping at the window” to check on the other kids. Willie needs to be let in, so that he can go to sleep.
Hey, Willie Winkie, are you coming in?
The cat is singing purring sounds to the sleeping hen
The dog’s spread out on the floor, and doesn’t give a cheep
But here’s a wakeful little boy who will not fall asleep!
A Child “Who Can’t Run on His Own”
Yet to understand the true meaning of “Wee Willie Winkie,” we need to continue on to the end of the nursery rhyme. The third and fourth stanzas go into further detail about Willie’s aversion to sleep. His antics include “rattling an iron jug with a spoon,” “shrieking like I don’t know what,” and “tugging at the cat’s ear.” But in the fifth and final stanza, we come to realize that Willie’s pre-bedtime adventures are apparently all in his mind.
Weary is the mother who has a dusty child
A small short sturdy child, who can’t run on his own
Who always has a battle with sleep before he’ll close an eye
But a kiss from his rosy lips gives strength anew to me
Though “Wee Willie Winkie” is widely understood as being about an attempt to calm a restless child, it’s ultimately a rhyme about the “weary” mother. She has a difficult job trying to help Willie to go to sleep, but her son’s love manages to re-energize her.
About William Miller
Miller’s poetry earned him the nickname of “The Laureate of the Nursery.” He was born in 1810, and he lived his entire life on Glasgow’s east side. Though he is best known for “Wee Willie Winkie,” he supported himself financially not with his poetry and nursery rhymes, but by making cabinets. Miller died in 1872 as a result of a leg infection.
The Impact of “Wee Willie Winkie”
“Wee Willie Winkie” continues to be a popular nursery rhyme. It has been recorded hundreds of times for versions that are available for streaming on Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms.
Rudyard Kipling borrowed the name “Wee Willie Winkie” for the lead character in his 1888 story of the same name. The story was then included in Kipling’s 1895 book, Wee Willie Winkie and Other Stories. Kipling’s story was adapted for a 1937 film called Wee Willie Winkie starring Shirley Temple and Victor McLaglen and directed by John Ford.
The Mark Knopler song “What It Is,” from his 2000 album Sailing to Philadelphia, includes a reference to the nursery rhyme and its lead character. The song is an ode to the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, and it includes the lines There’s a chink of light, there’s a burning wick / There’s a lantern in the tower / Wee Willie Winkie with a candlestick / Still writing songs in the wee wee hours. “What It Is” reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart. Listeners have streamed it more than 78 million times on Spotify, making it Knopfler’s most popular solo song on the platform.
Regardless of how we interpret the nursery rhyme, there is no doubt that “Wee Willie Winkie” has implanted itself in our popular culture. We shouldn’t be surprised if the restive young boy shows up in new songs and stories into his third century and beyond.
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