The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 1 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes and Methods of Playing etc.Gomme, Alice Bertha
History
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 1 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes and Methods of Playing etc.
Gomme, Alice Bertha
Folklore -- Great Britain; Games -- Great Britain
(_c_) The more general way of playing this game is to form a ring of
children simply. The children walk round singing the verse as in the
Belfast version, and when the last line is sung, the child whose name is
mentioned turns round, facing the outside of the ring and having her
back to the centre. She continues to hold hands with the others, and
dances round with them in that position. This is repeated until all the
children have “turned” their backs to the inside of the ring. Here the
game ends in many cases, but another verse is sung in the Lincoln,
Winterton, and Wakefield versions from Miss Peacock, and this was sung
also in the London version. The second verse thus terminates the game,
with the players one by one reversing their position and facing the
centre of ring as at first. In the Forest of Dean and Wakefield
versions the action of the game is somewhat different. A child stands in
the centre of the ring of children, without apparently taking much part
in the game, except to name the children in turn. In the Wakefield
version, however (Miss Fowler, No. xvii.), a little boy stands in the
middle of a circle of girls who sing the first verse. At “We’ll all cou’
don’ together,” all crouch down, as if in profound respect, then rising
slowly, sing the next verse. After “My pitcher and my can,” each child
mentions her own name. At “Isn’t —— as nice as her?” each mentions her
sweetheart’s name, and the child thus chosen goes into the circle. At
the end of the fourth verse they all clap hands, and the one that is
sweetheart to him in the middle kisses him. The “crouching down” is also
done in the Forest of Dean version when singing the fourth line. The
last one to stoop has to name her sweetheart. When this is done, the
children all dance round and sing the other lines.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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