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Another tradition holds that the Jack be Nimble nursery rhyme refers to the Yellow Fever (also called the yellow jack fever), which was believed to be kept at bay by flames. Candles would be put at the bedsides of children to keep the fever away.

:Jack be nimble,
:Jack be quick,
:Jack jump over the candlestick.

:Jack jumped high,
:Jack jumped low,
:Jack jumped over and burned his toe.

There is an alternate version of the 2nd verse

:If Jack had jumped a little higher
:He wouldn't have caught his pants on fire

In urban culture, pants is sometimes replaced with "ass"

On the song American Pie (song) by folk rock artist Don McLean , there's the line "So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candlestick" referring to the rhyme and to the Rolling Stones 's song " Jumpin' Jack Flash "