"How Many Miles to Babylon" is an English-language
nursery rhyme
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
From t ...
. It has a
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...
number of 8148.
Lyrics
The accepted modern lyrics are:
A longer Scottish version has the lyrics:
Various places have replaced Babylon in the rhyme, including London town, Barberry and Berry Bright.
[E. H. Linscott and J. M. Carpenter, ''Folk Songs of Old New England'' (Courier Dover, 1993), p. 18.]
Origins
The rhyme was not recorded until the nineteenth century, but the reference to Cantelon in the Scottish version has led some to conclude that it refers to Caledon in the time of the
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
. Babylon may be a corruption of 'Babyland', but the city was a common allusion particularly in seventeenth-century England and 'Can I get there by candlelight?' was a common saying in the sixteenth century. It referred to the time of day at which it was necessary to light a candle as the daylight faded. The question here then is to whether or not Babylon can be reached before the light of day faded and the candles must be lit. Naturally this time changed throughout the seasons.
In the 1824 edition o
''The Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia''there's a description of the rhyme and the game, giving the distance as "six, seven or a lang eight".
The rhyme was originally accompanied by a
singing game
A singing game is an activity based on a particular verse or rhyme, usually associated with a set of actions and movements. As a collection, they have been studied by folklorists, ethnologists, and psychologists and are seen as important part of ...
in which two lines face each other, with one player in the middle. At the end of the rhyme the players have to cross the space and any caught help the original player in the middle catch the others.
[ The game seems to have fallen out of use in the twentieth century. The game ]Red Rover
Red Rover (also known as The King's Run and Forcing the City Gates) is a team game played primarily by children on playgrounds, requiring 10+ players.
The game has changed over several decades, evolving from a regular "running across" game, wit ...
, which is first documented in the early twentieth century, has, in its earliest recorded form, the same rules; hypothesizing a connection between the death of the older game and the spread of the new one is therefore natural, though necessarily speculative.
In popular culture
In literature
*The opening line is used in Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's poem 'Envoys'.
*It is referenced in Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's, ''Rewards and Fairies
''Rewards and Fairies'' is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling published in 1910. The title comes from the poem "Farewell, Rewards and Fairies" by Richard Corbet, which was referred to by the children in the first story of Kipling's ...
''.
*It appears in the novel ''Sylvie and Bruno
''Sylvie and Bruno'', first published in 1889, and its second volume ''Sylvie and Bruno Concluded'' published in 1893, form the last novel by Lewis Carroll published during his lifetime. Both volumes were illustrated by Harry Furniss.
The novel ...
'' by Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...
.
*It is referred to in the novel '' Forever Amber'' by Kathleen Winsor
Kathleen Winsor (October 16, 1919 – May 26, 2003) was an American author. She is best known for her first work, the 1944 historical novel '' Forever Amber''. The novel, racy for its time, became a runaway bestseller even as it drew criticism ...
. (1944)
* It is sung to Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
, by Francis Crawford of Lymond
The ''Lymond Chronicles'' is a series of six historical novels written by Dorothy Dunnett and first published between 1961 and 1975. Set in mid-16th-century Europe and the Mediterranean area, the series tells the story of a young Scottish noblem ...
, in the fictional historical novel ''Queen's Play'', the second book of the ''Lymond Chronicles
The ''Lymond Chronicles'' is a series of six historical novels written by Dorothy Dunnett and first published between 1961 and 1975. Set in mid-16th-century Europe and the Mediterranean area, the series tells the story of a young Scottish noblem ...
'', by Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy, Lady Dunnett (née Halliday, 25 August 1923 – 9 November 2001) was a Scottish novelist best known for her historical fiction. Dunnett is most famous for her six novel series set during the 16th century, which concern the fictiti ...
.
*The rhyme is used in '' They Came to Baghdad'' by Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
.
*It prefaces the essay ''Goodbye to All That'' by Joan Didion
Joan Didion (; December 5, 1934 – December 23, 2021) was an American writer. Along with Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson and Gay Talese, she is considered one of the pioneers of New Journalism. Didion's career began in the 1950s after she won an ...
.
*It is the title of a family saga by Jennifer Johnston (1974).
*It is the title of a children's book by Paula Fox
Paula Fox (April 22, 1923 – March 1, 2017) was an American author of novels for adults and children and of two memoirs. For her contributions as a children's writer she won the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1978, the ...
(1967) D. White Co., New York
*It appears in the novel ''Deep Secret
''Deep Secret'' is a fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones, published by Gollancz in 1997. It is the first in the Magids series.
Plot Summary
The book's first narrator is Rupert Venables, the junior "magid" responsible for Earth and the Koryfonic E ...
'' by Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually de ...
, where a significantly extended version plays a pivotal role in the plot's resolution.
*It appears in the novel ''The Other
In phenomenology, the terms the Other and the Constitutive Other identify the other human being, in their differences from the Self, as being a cumulative, constituting factor in the self-image of a person; as acknowledgement of being real; h ...
'' by Tom Tryon
Thomas Lester Tryon (January 14, 1926 – September 4, 1991) was an American actor and novelist. He is best known for playing the title role in the film ''The Cardinal'' (1963), featured roles in the war films '' The Longest Day'' (1962) and ''I ...
.
*It appears in the novel ''Spinsters in Jeopardy
''Spinsters in Jeopardy'' is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the seventeenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1954. The novel is set in Southern France, where Alleyn, his painter wife Agatha Troy and their you ...
'' by Ngaio Marsh
Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966.
As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Det ...
.
*It appears in Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
's novel '' Stardust'' and its film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
, which each show methods of travel involving a "Babylon Candle."
*It gives the title to Julius Horwitz's novel of London during World War II, ''Can I Get There by Candlelight?''Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
.
*It is used in "The Story of the Amulet
''The Story of the Amulet'' is a children's literature, novel for children, written in 1906 by English author Edith Nesbit.
It is the final part of a trilogy of novels that also includes ''Five Children and It'' (1902) and ''The Phoenix and t ...
" by E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist an ...
.
*It is used as a plot point in '' An Artificial Night'' by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire (pronounced SHAWN-in; born January 5, 1978 in Martinez, California) is an American author and filker. McGuire is known for her urban fantasy novels. She uses the pseudonym Mira Grant to write science fiction/ horror and the pseudon ...
.
*It appears in Denise Levertov
Priscilla Denise Levertov (24 October 1923 – 20 December 1997) was a British-born naturalised American poet. She was a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry.
Early life and influences
Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Ess ...
's poem "Candles in Babylon"
*It is referenced in the children's book ''Can I Get There by Candlelight?'' (1982) by Jean Slaughter Doty.
*It is used in the novel ''How Many Miles to Babylon?'' by Jennifer Johnston.
*It is used in the short story ''Babylon 70M'' (1963) by Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) was an American science fiction editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell, Martin Pearso ...
, appearing in the first issue of Robert A. W. Lowndes
Robert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes (September 4, 1916 – July 14, 1998) was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of ''Future Science Fiction'', ''Science Fiction'', and ''Science Fiction Quarterly ...
' ''Magazine of Horror
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content (media), content. They are generally financed by advertising, newsagent's shop, ...
''.[ Initiated by Robert A. W. Lowndes for Health Knowledge Inc.]
* The rhyme appears in the novel Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...
(1985) by Peter Ackroyd
Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...
.
* The number of miles in the second line, “three score miles and ten”, matches the years of a human lifespan as stated in the Holy Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
(“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”). Psalms 90:10 , KJV.
In television and film
*It plays a major part in the plot of the 1985 anime film '' Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon''. The song is repeatedly sung by the character of Rosetta, which helps Lupin figure out how to navigate the traps from within the Tower of Babel and how to find the treasure towards the end of the film. A version of the rhyme is sung in English midway into the film by Naoko Kawai, appearing on the film's original soundtrack as "The Song of Babylon".
*It is referenced in the TV series ''Strange Angel
''Strange Angel'' is an American historical drama streaming television series that premiered on June 14, 2018, on CBS All Access. The series is based on the biography of Thelemic magician and scientist Jack Parsons. ''Strange Angel: The Otherworl ...
''. The rhyme is chanted at the beginning of Season 1, Episode 2 whilst the protagonist is sleeping.
In music
*It is parodied as "How many miles to Babyland?" on Lenny and the Squigtones
Lenny and the Squigtones is a fictional musical group headed in character by Michael McKean and David Lander, the two actors who played Lenny and Squiggy on the U.S. television series ''Laverne & Shirley'', which is set primarily in the 1950s. The ...
- a comedy album by the characters Lenny and Squiggy from the 1970s sitcom ''Laverne & Shirley''.
*It is the title of a song of Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
's '' Fire and Ice'' album.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:How Many Miles To Babylon?
Singing games
English nursery rhymes
Scottish nursery rhymes
English children's songs
Traditional children's songs
Songs about Asia
Songwriter unknown
Year of song unknown