People are just finding out the ‘chicken crossing the road’ joke has a dark meaning behind it

When you realize something you have known all your life has served a completely different purpose, it stings. The classic dad joke, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” may be one of them. Recently, the actual meaning behind the jest has come to light. Turns out, the joke has a darker meaning hidden behind it, and people are losing their faith in knowledge. Earlier this year, a viral X post emerged that explained the sinister truth about the chicken who crossed the road, as reported by The New York Post. 

The modern interpretation is, the chicken tried to cross the road and was hit by a car that killed it, thus reaching the afterlife, often referred to as “the other side.” People on the internet were flabbergasted by the context and refused to believe that the chicken they knew and laughed about was no more. “Hang on a damn second. You’re telling me that the chicken who crossed the road was killed and went to 'the other side?' That's the joke?” an X expressed in the now-unavailable X post. “All these years, I thought that little f****r was just crossing the road,” they added.

Other commenters joined in the debate and shared their mix of reactions. “I don’t know whether to be sad, cry, confused, impressed, or feel really stupid,” a person stated, also appreciating the closure on the subject. While another senior citizen user noted, “I'm in my 60s and just learned this about a year ago. It may have ruined the joke for me." Someone else weighed in, "Ooh. That puts a different perspective on things. This dark world is now a little darker.” Another upset internet user said, “Everything I thought I knew is a lie," as reported by Tyla. 

Hate to break it, but this classic old joke is not the only one. The dark meaning behind the children’s rhyme, “This little piggy went to the market,” has also stunned people. This rhyme is the story of three piggies who had different fates. As is presumed, the first pig does not go to the market for a trip but is actually served as a commodity– pork. While the other one who stayed back was not mature enough to be consumed and the third was yet to be fattened to serve as meat. Dark humor is all around us, it seems.

An X user (@burglahobbit) pointed out the fact in a disheartening tone. “When I was a kid, I genuinely thought that 'this little piggy went to market' meant it actually went to market, like I thought it went shopping…” the caption stated. Once again, the internet was shocked. “No wonder the last one went screaming all the way home,” a comment by @A_Dank_Nommie noted. 

Finally, the beloved play school rhyme: “Ring-a-ring o’ roses/ A pocket full of posies/ A-tishoo! A-tishoo!/We all fall down!” refers to a not-so-jolly time in history. The rhyme recalls the terrifying times of The Great Plague that occurred in England between 1665 to 1666. Thousands of people died, with London’s population taking a hit of 15% of its total. The current interpretation suggests that the nursery rhyme, where children gather in a circle and fall down one after another in the end, implies the devastating impacts and deaths from the disease.