BLACK SHEEP

Today we were watching The Wright Stuff and they were talking about the word BLACK being changed in the nursery rhyme BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP.  My mum said it was a rhyme about paying a third of the wool you produced to the landlord or tax collector.  The saying BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY was to do with being less wanted because black wool was not wanted as much as white wool.  You couldn’t dye it different colours.