The world turned upside down
‘The world turned upside down’ implies a state of disarray or describes a radical change in personal circumstances or mode of life. It could apply to the parlous state of my beloved homeland.It is based on a verse in the Bible, Acts 17:6, which says, ‘These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.’ It referred to some of the Jews in Thessalonica who were angered by Paul and Silas preaching the gospel, accusing them of attempting to overthrow the established religion and way of life.In 17th century England, Parliament decreed that the holy day of Christmas should be observed with appropriate solemnity. It passed laws making traditional Christmas celebrations illegal. The Puritans and the Presbyterians thought them too closely related to Catholicism and inclined to incite drunkenness and misbehaviour.
‘The world turned upside down’ was a ballad composed in 1646 towards the end of the First English Civil War. It protested against the laws and against the civil war, which aimed to limit the powers of the king
I think the world is turned more upside down by all the wars and political backstabbings, so no one know if they are coming or going anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the world can turn upside down as it is a ball, there are several upside downs then. Anyway my grandma said that, when a scandalous thing happened. Interesting story !
ReplyDeleteLots of sayings don't make much sense:-)
DeleteOur world if not up side down is defiantly off kilter.
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a 'lapsed Catholic' l have seen
ReplyDeleteand experienced the world up~side~down...
Does it bother me...Neah! I brush it aside,
or tackle it head on...and l always come out
the winner...! :).
Two dates in the year l look forward to..Christmas,
and the 21st of next month, St Matthew's day my
burfday..! :).
Upside Down...The first thing l thought of was Diana
Ross's single from 1980... written and produced by
Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards...!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIAtE6ywgwA
♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫ ♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫ ♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫
Taking religion too seriously causes all sorts of problems. Live and let live!
DeleteThe world is upside down a lot. I try not to get caught up in the bad news every day as it is around and up and down the world. I do enjoy your posts with fun info for me to learn and think on.
ReplyDelete'Going to hell in a handcart' but we carry on, regardless.
DeleteGail says: When I saw you had posted a link to 'The world turned upside down' I assumed this would be the Leon Rosselson song about the Diggers (which I remember from the 1980s but have rarely if ever heard since). It has a similarly radical theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCXnol8NGbg
ReplyDeleteLeon Rosselson's version is gentler than Billy Bragg's - and preferable to me.
DeleteHi Janice ... the leaders of the world are upside down, or in a hole as in Jackson Hole today ... but 'hole' is not as we know 'hole' but a valley in Wyoming ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary, if we couldn't laugh, we would sink into despair!
DeleteI love learning about the origins of sayings, and yes, sadly it feels like the world has been turned upside down lately. One just has to watch the news. And I'm afraid it's not just your beloved homeland either. xxx
ReplyDeleteI limit my listening and watching and reading of news - there has to be balance somewhere.
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