The Black Death One of the earliest rhymes that many children are taught is “Ring Around the Rosies”. By most it is considered a happy cheerful song. But in reality the song is an enactment of the bubonic plague or as it is more commonly known the “Black Death”. The first line, “Ring around the Rosies”, refers to the rosy rash that is one of the first symptoms of the plague. The second line, “A pocket full of posies”, refers to the herbs and spices used to hide the awful smells of the sick. The third line, “Achoo! Achoo!” signifies that the person infected is sick. This line was later changed to