London Town

This traditional nursery rhyme, likely dating back to the Middle Ages, is historically linked to older songs such as "How many miles to Babylon" and "How many miles to Bethlehem." The adaptation to "London town" reflects London's long-standing status as a prominent imperial center and major destination in English culture.

The phrase "three score and ten" is an archaic way of saying seventy—a "score" meant twenty units, so three score (60) plus ten equals seventy miles. This biblical expression comes from Psalm 90:10, which describes the traditional span of a human lifetime: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten." The phrase was also famously used by William Shakespeare in Macbeth, demonstrating its widespread use in English literature.

The playful question-and-answer format made this rhyme popular for children's games and marching songs. The optimistic response—"Yes, and back again"—suggests the rhyme was used to encourage children during long journeys or tedious tasks, promising that even seventy miles could be traversed by candlelight and back, a comforting thought in an era before modern transportation.