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
The game is played in the usual manner of “Fox and Goose” games. One is
chosen to be the Hen, and one to be the Fox. The rest are the Chickens.
The Chickens take hold of each other’s waists, the first one holding the
Hen’s waist. At the end of the dialogue the Fox tries to get hold of one
of the chickens. If he succeeds in catching them, they all with the Fox
try to dodge the Hen, who makes an effort to regain them.
It is known at Winterton under the name of “Pins and Needles.” The
players stand in a row, one behind another, with one of the party as
their Leader. Another player, called “Outsider,” pretends to scratch the
ground. The Leader asks, the questions, and the Outsider replies—
What are you scratching for?
Pins and needles.
What do you want your pins and needles for?
To mend my poke.
What do you want your poke for?
To put some sand in.
What do you want your sand for?
To sharpen knives with.
What do you want your knives for?
To cut all the little chickens’ heads off with.
Here the Outsider tries to dodge past the Leader to catch one of the
children at the further end of the row, the Leader meanwhile attempting
to bar her progress. When at last she succeeds, the child caught takes
her place, and the game is recommenced.—Winterton (Miss M. Peacock).
See “Fox and Goose,” “Gled-wylie.”
Here comes a Lusty Wooer
[Music]
—Rimbault’s _Nursery Rhymes_.
Here comes a lusty wooer,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Here comes a lusty wooer,
Lily bright and shine a’.
Pray who do you woo?
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Pray who do you woo?
Lily bright and shine a’.
For your fairest daughter,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
For your fairest daughter,
Lily bright and shine a’.
Then there she is for you,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Then there she is for you,
Lily bright and shine a’.
—Ritson (_Gammer Gurton’s Garland_, 1783).
Northall says this game is played after the manner of the “Three Dukes”
(_Folk Rhymes_, p. 383). Halliwell (_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 98) has a
version, and Rimbault (_Nursery Rhymes_) gives both words and tune. It
is also contained in _The Merrie Heart_ (p. 47). See “Jolly Hooper,”
“Jolly Rover.”
Here comes One Virgin
Here comes one Virgin on her knee,
On her knee, on her knee,
Here comes one Virgin on her knee,
Pray what will you give her?
When did you come?
I came by night and I came by day,
I came to steal poor Edie away.
She is too old, she is too young,
She hasn’t learnt her virgin tongue.
Let her be old or let her be young,
For her beauty she must come.
In her pocket a thousand pounds,
On her finger a gay gold ring.
Good-bye, good-bye, my dear.
—Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss Chase).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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