As I was going by Charing Cross

This simple rhyme actually springs from a very specific sight in London: the statue of King Charles I at Charing Cross. Picture someone walking past this well-known spot, perhaps not long after the turmoil of the English Civil War. They see the striking figure of a man on horseback, dark against the sky, and are told it's the executed king himself. The "black man upon a black horse" isn't about the king's appearance in life, but a description of the bronze statue, which naturally darkens with age and weather, standing solemnly near Whitehall where Charles met his end in 1649.

The statue itself has quite a story. Made before the Civil War, it was cleverly hidden away when Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians were in charge, only to be brought out and finally put up at Charing Cross in 1675 after the monarchy was restored. So, the rhyme likely began circulating sometime after that, capturing a common experience of Londoners or visitors encountering this potent landmark. It became fixed as a nursery rhyme later, with the earliest printed versions we know of appearing around the middle of the 18th century.

But it's that last line – "Oh dear, my heart was ready to burst!" – that holds the real weight. Seeing the memorial could unleash a rush of feeling. For some, it would be pity or sadness for the monarch's violent death, especially common sentiments after his son, Charles II, regained the throne. For others, it might be the sheer shock or awe of seeing such a stark reminder of rebellion and regicide, or perhaps a lingering echo of the fear and division that tore the country apart. The rhyme, in its few words, captures a powerful, personal reaction to a public monument steeped in traumatic history.