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A Sinister Tale
The "Hark, hark the dogs
do bark" rhyme dates back to
13th century England. The
origin of "Hark, hark the
dogs do bark", reflected in
the words, is seeped in
history. Wandering minstrels
or troubadours and beggars
went from city to town
singing their songs (some in
rags and some in tags and
one in a velvet gown).
Messages of dissent to the
common people were often
found in secret meanings to
the words of their ballads.
In this way the propaganda
of the day was safely passed
from one community to
another. These secret
messages could lead to plots
and uprisings against the
royalty, clergy and
politicians of the day. Even
further back in time, in
Saxon England, professional
storytellers, called 'scops',
would also travel around the
country telling stories for
their living. During
outbreaks of the Bubonic
Plague strangers were looked
upon with horror! Dogs
barking alerted the
townspeople to strangers in
their area, hence the words
"Hark, hark the dogs do bark
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