Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice.
Three blind mice.
See how they run.
See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

This rhyme was first published in 1805

The most likely explanation for the meaning of this rhyme is that the farmer's wife is Henry VIII's daughter Mary who restored Catholicism to England when she became Queen. Among those who were executed for refusing to rejoin the Catholic fold were bishops Ridley and Latimer and Archbishop Cranmer. They were burnt at the stake because they were too 'blind' to see that the Catholic faith was the only true faith.