What is the meaning of Baa Baa black sheep?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Baa Baa Black Sheep was an English medieval nursery rhyme that was written as, believe it or not, a protest against taxes in the wool trade and protests against the slave trade being used in the wool industry.

• "Baa Baa Black Sheep" is referring to the dark skin of the slaves who farm the sheep for their wool. The term "black sheep" is also used to describe an outcast - ie 'Sam was the black sheep of the family, nobody cared about him'.
• "Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full" represents the Navy which was used to transport goods such as wool. "Yes sir, three bags full" is a worker on a ship answering to the Captain.
• "One for the master, one for the dame" implies that only the rich can afford the wool because of the tax on it. Also the master represents the King, while the dame represents the nobility (see next point below).
• "One for the little boy who lives down the lane" represents the poor who have to give a third of their income to the king (the master) in taxes and another third in taxes to the nobility (the dame). The little boy, who represents the peasants, is last in the nursery rhyme because they are "black sheep" (outcasts).

So there you have it. One of the most famous nursery rhymes was a protest against wool taxes, social inequality and slavery.

Answer 2

It is a quote from a well-known nursery rhyme and rather a pun on the phrase "black sheep" which can mean someone with different or questionable values and behavior.