Read Anywhere, Anytime
"As I Was Going by Charing Cross" is a short nursery rhyme that captures a fleeting, emotionally charged moment at one of London's most iconic landmarks. The speaker spots a black-clad rider on a black horse, only to be told the figure is King Charles the First — a revelation that fills them with sudden, overwhelming sorrow. In just four lines, the rhyme blends history with raw feeling, evoking the tragic legacy of a king whose story moved even passing strangers to the brink of tears.
As I was going by Charing Cross,
I saw a black man upon a black horse;
They told me it was King Charles the First-
Oh dear, my heart was ready to burst!
Ririro is the in-house editorial pen name for traditional rhymes and anonymous verses published on Ririro.com. This nursery rhyme draws on the historical memory of King Charles I, who was executed in 1649 — an event that left a deep and lasting mark on English culture, echoed even in small folk verses like this one.
