There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe There was an old woman Who lived in a shoe. She had so many children She didn't know what to do. She gave them some broth Without any bread. And whipped them all soundly And sent them to bed.

Traditionally, this rhyme is believed to refer to England as the "Old woman" and the British colonies as the many children. The Revolutionary War fought by the United States (1775-1783) was just the first of the British "children" to rebel against their "mother".

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