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The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.Gomme, Alice Bertha

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The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.

Name: The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.
Author: Gomme, Alice Bertha

Gomme, Alice Bertha

Folklore -- Great Britain; Games -- Great Britain

VI.     Oranges and lemons,
            The bells of St. Clement’s.
            I owe you three farthings,
            When shall I pay you?
            When I get rich.
            Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
            Here comes a hatchet to chop off your head.

—Brigg (from a Lincolnshire friend of Miss Barker).

    VII.    Oranges and lemons,
            Say the bells of St. Clemen’s.
            I owe you five farthins,
            Say the bells of St. Martin’s.
            When shall I pay you?
            Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
            Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
            Or Sunday?

—Symondsbury, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 216).

    VIII.   I owe you five farthings.
            When will you pay me,
            To-day or to-morrow?
            Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
            Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

—Broadwinsor, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 217).

    IX.     Oranges and lemons, the bells of St. Clement’s [or St.
            Helen’s].
            I owe you five farthings. And when will you pay me?
                I’m sure I don’t know.
            Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
            Here comes a chop’n bill to chop off your head—
                      Chop—chop—chop—chop.
            [Or Here comes a chop’n bill to chop off the last man’s
            head.]

—Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).

    X.      Lend me five shillings,
                Said the bells of St. Helen’s.

            When will you pay me?
                Said the bells of St. Philip’s.

            I do not know,
                Said the Great Bell of Bold.

            Ring a ding, ding,
            Ring a ding, ding,
            Ring a ding, ding, ding, ding.

—Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy, as told him by A. K.).

    XI.     Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s;
            You owe me five farthings, and when will you pay me?
            Say the bells of Old Bailey.
            When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch.
            And the last one that comes shall be chop, chop.

—Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 86).

    XII.    Orange and lemon,
            Say the bells of St. Martin (or the bells of Sweet Lemon);
            I owe you five farthings,
            But when shall I pay you?

            Here comes a candle
            To light you to bed,
            Here comes a hatchet
            To chop off your head.

—Eckington, Derbyshire (S. O. Addy).

    XIII.   Oranges and lemons,
            The bells of St. Clement’s;
            I owe you five farthings,
            And when will you pay me?
            Oh, that I can’t tell you;
            Sim, Bim, bim, bow, bay.

—Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. E. Sykes).

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.

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