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| Myself as a child. |
[Can anyone remember any playground rhymes or games? I am putting together a post consisting of remembered playground rhymes and games. It seems to me this area as a true essence of the anarchic oral lore that gave rise to all the stuff I post here, and almost everyone will have been to school.
If you went to a school in the Westcountry and played in a playground you will almost certianly have experianced a real oral tradition - the rhymes and games of children. Some came from books, I am sure, and some from teachers and parents (who themselves may have learned them in the playground), but I am sure most came from other children.
So - if you can remember anything, no mater how small, please post them here as a comment, and I will include them in the final post.
Please put a place and an estimated date...]
My boyfriend's name is Tony
ReplyDeleteHe lives in macaroni
With a jelly on his nose
And ten back toes
And this is how my story goes
One day I was a-walking
I heard my boyfriend talking
To the prettiest girl
in the whole wide world
And this is what he said to her
I l-o-v-e love you
I k-i-s-s kiss you
So I jumped in the lake
And I swallowed a snake
And then I got a bellyache
Do me a favour
Drop dead!
This is a lovely clapping song. The clapping pattern was quite complex, but evolved all the time.
Bath, late 1980's.
Willie was a watchdog lying in the grass.
ReplyDeleteAlong came a bumblebee and stung him in the
Ask no questions, tell no lies.
Have you ever seen a policeman doing up his
Flies are a nuisance, bugs are worse.
This is the end of my little verse.
My dad taught me this (he went to school in Bath too), then I taught all my school :o).
Bath, late 1980's.
I remember a clapping rhyme we did, had to look it up to remember the rest of the lyrics though, i'd totally forgotten the last verse!! :)
ReplyDeleteMiss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back.
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For fifty cents, cents, cents
To see an elephant, elephant, elephant
Jump over a fence, fence, fence.
He jumped so high, high, high
He touched the sky, sky, sky
And didn't come down, down, down
Til the 4th of July, July, July
That was in Yeovil, must have been about 1988 or so I think.
We used to to the Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich Man, poor man, beggar man, thief skpping rhyme too!
Only games I remember well are British Bulldog and Man overboard!!
Those were the days! :D
Thank you Lunar and Faerie Folklorist - I will add them to the growing post!
ReplyDeleteCan you remember the clapping rhythm, Faerie Folklorist? (I copied yours down, Lunar). Was it really Cents Cents Cents, and not Pence Pence Pence?
I remember the name British Bulldog as well, but cant recall how it goes... Was it that as you where caught you became a chaser as well, not instead of?
What was Man Overboard?
Hiya! Feel free to call me Laura :) oops my mistake with the cents bit, I cut and paste it off a childrens rhyme website and changed the bits that we sung differently, missed the cents bit though we did indeed sing pence!! The clapping rhythm... I remember you stood opposite someone and clapped your own hands together, then my right on their right, then your own hands together, then clapped both your hands on their hands 3 times in time with the 'mack mack mack' and 'black black black' etc. Then i think you did the same with the left hands this time. Not sure thats completely right though, long time ago!! :)
ReplyDeleteBritish Bulldog - There were 2 parallel rows of kids, about 8 metres or so apart, and one person in the middle. The kids didnt exactly stand in rows, they usually just had to stay behind a certain line in the playground. Guy or girl in the middle had to catch the kids as they ran across from one side to the other, and if they were caught they had to stand in the middle and help catch more people, until only one person was left.. the winner!
Man Overboard - Pretty much the same as above, apart from when you ran across the middle you couldnt join the other line until some one put their arm out and pulled you in. As you ran you shouted 'man overboard' in the hope that someone would notice and pull you in to safety! As above, there was a kid in the middle trying to catch the people running across, and if they were caught they became a catcher too.
Also thought of another one, we played What's the time Mr Wolf! Think thats a pretty famous one played everywhere though :)
I'll ask around on facebook and see what other rhymes my old school friends can remember! Have just added you on facebook (i think!) so will forward on any replies, and feel free to message if you need anymore info! :)
Hello Laura,
ReplyDeleteThank you very very much for those detailed description - I had just asked Lunar about British Bulldog this morning and it sounds pretty much the same, except her version the person in the middle had to bodily throw the person they had caught to the floor and pin them theri until everyone had crossed. It was banned in her school the entire time she was there (in Twerton, Bath) but happened every year any how. She said it took up the entire playground and involved everyone, often including a teacher trying to stop them all. Their was an honour code that the younger years where aloud to be near the edge where it was safer...
Never heard of Man Overboard - thanks for that! We played Whats the time Mr Wolf, but me and Lunars versions seem a little different (see the draft post above). How did you play it?
I will look for you on Facebook.
Thanks again,
Thomas