In this street game an entire regal court is appointed, the children
taking the characters of king, queen, princes, and courtiers. When these
preliminaries are settled two children join hands and whisper
something--supposed to be a great state secret--to each other. This at
once causes a rivalry amongst certain of the mock courtiers, and the
dissatisfaction spreads, culminating in an open rebellion. The children
take sides. Things now look serious; the prime minister tells the king
he fears rebellion, and for safety his little majesty, attired in royal
robes, and wearing a paper crown, retires to his palace--one of those
places "built without walls." The soldiers, the king's bodyguard, are
summoned, and orders are given to them to suppress the insurrection and
capture the little rebels. As each one is taken prisoner the soldiers
ask--
"Will you surrender? Oh, will you surrender
To the King of the Barbarines?"
During the struggle reinforcements come up from the rebel camp and try
to beat off the king's soldiers, exclaiming--
"We won't surrender, we won't surrender
To the King of the Barbarines."
"We'll make you surrender, we'll make you surrender
To the King of the Barbarines."
"You can't make us surrender, you can't make us surrender
To the King of the Barbarines."
"We'll go to the King, we'll go to the King,
To the King of the Barbarines."
"You can go to the King, you can go to the King,
To the King of the Barbarines."
The rebels now build an imaginary castle by joining hands. The king's
soldiers surround the place, and after a skirmish break it down.
"We'll break down your castle, we'll break down your castle
For the King of the Barbarines."
A LANCASHIRE ROUND GAME.
Two rows of lassies and lads face each other; the boys, hand in hand,
move backwards and forwards towards the girls, saying--
"I've got gold, and I've got silver,
I've got copper, and I've got brass,
I've got all the world can give me,
All I want is a nice young lass."
"Fly to the east, fly to the west,
Fly to the one you love the best."
In the scramble which takes place the young lass of each one's choice is
seized. A ring is formed, and a rollicking dance takes places to the
characteristic chorus of--
"Fol th' riddle, I do, I do, I do;
Fol th' riddle, I do, I do, dey."
ROUND GAME OF THE MULBERRY BUSH.
"Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush;
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.
"This is the way we wash our hands,
We wash our hands, we wash our hands;
This is the way we wash our hands
On a cold and frosty morning.
"This is the way we do our hair," etc.
"This is the way we mend our shoes," etc.
"This is the way we scrub our clothes," etc.
"This is the way we dust our room," etc.
"PRAY, MR. FOX, WHAT TIME IS IT?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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