The content of "There was a crooked man" poem have a basis in history. The origin of this poem originates from the English Stuart history of King Charles 1. The crooked man is reputed to be the Scottish General Sir Alexander Leslie. The General signed a Covenant securing religious and political freedom for Scotland. The 'crooked stile' referred to in "There was a crooked man" being the border between England and Scotland. 'They all lived together in a little crooked house' refers to the fact that the English and Scots had at last come to an agreement. The words reflect the times when there was great animosity between the English and the Scots. The word crooked is pronounced as 'crookED' the emphasis being placed upon the 'ED' in the word. This was common in olde England and many references can be found in this type of pronunciation in the
works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
There was a Crooked Man
Жил-был человечек
There was a crooked man And he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence Upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, Which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together In a little crooked house
Жил-был человечек кривой на мосту.
Однажды прошел он кривую версту.
И вдруг на пути меж камней мостовой
Нашел потускневший полтинник кривой.
Купил за полтинник кривую он кошку,
А кошка кривую нашла ему мышку.
И так они жили втроем понемножку,
Покуда не рухнул кривой их домишко.
