IP DIP DIP

Children’s culture, passed down for so long from older children to younger ones, is dying out. Rhymes which are hundred of years old and were heard on every street corner not so long ago are almost entirely gone.

So, in a bid to rescue them from extinction, I am compiling all the rhymes and games I can find in an easily accessible webpage. I hope that teachers, parents, children and other children’s culture enthusiasts will be able to make some use of them.

Each sung rhyme will have the tune playing, along with any variations and approximate area– I am always happy to add extra variations! Those without the tune noted are tagged ‘chant’ and are done to the rhythm of either the clapping or skipping.

I will also list taunts, riddles, myths and other games once commonly heard. Let’s allow children to go beyond simple jinxing and variations of ‘roses are red…’– they deserve it.

My main sources are Pete and Iona Opie’s books, along with comments found on old forums and my own memories. I am from Nottinghamshire, so it’ll be the variation from my area. I’ll add sources for everything in the tags of the post.

Actions done as the words are said are (in regular brackets and italics) by the side of the corresponding words. 

Actions done afterwards 

[are in italics, below or above in square brackets]

The ball must only bounced against the wall once before being caught

Plainsy,

Clapsy,

Roll your arms,

To backsie, (cross arms to touch back)

Right hand, (catch with right)

Left hand, (catch with left)

Throw it high, (throw high up the wall)

Throw it low, (throw low against the wall)

Touch your heel,

Touch your knee,

Touch your toe,

And under you go (throw the ball under your leg)

ALTERNATIVELY: Instead of ‘Roll your arms’ use ‘Round the world’ with the corresponding action being doing a turn before you catch the ball.

The ball must only bounced against the ground once before being caught.

Plainsy,

Clapsy,

Roll your arms,

To backsie, (cross arms to touch back)

Right hand, (catch with right)

Left hand, (catch with left)

Throw it high, (throw up instead of bouncing)

Throw it low, (catch before it reaches knee height)

Touch your heel,

Touch your knee, 

Touch your toe, 

And under you go (bounce ball under your leg)

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

Next door neighbour carry on, 

[Person B catches the balls and without pausing continues two-balling]

Next door neighbour got the flu,

Inky pinky ponky,

Father had a donkey,

Donkey died,

Father cried,

This is sung in the tune of ‘Greensleeves’.

[Everyone stands in a ring, the one who is on stands in the middle]

Green peas, mutton pies, 

Tell me where my mother lies;

I’ll be there before she dies, 

So call me in my bosom.

I love Clara over, over, 

[The person called comes in, and the two swing around holding hands in the middle of the ring]

I love Clara in the clover,

I love her and she loves me, 

And that's the way we both agree.

[Sung in the tune of ‘My name is Queen Mary’]

My name is sweet Dolly, my age twenty-three,

My father’s a farmer over the Red Sea. 

Got plenty of money to dress me in silk, 

But no one to love me but Ella

[Stand in a ring around the person who is on. They all sing.]

My name is Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,

My father’s a farmer over yonder green.

He’s plenty of money to dress me in silk,

But no bonnie laddie will take me away.

[The one who is on picks someone from the ring to join them, they dance around inside the ring together as those in the ring continue to sing.]

One morning I rose and looked in the glass, 

I said to myself what a handsome young lass; 

My hands on my sides, and I have a ha-ha,

But there’s no bonnie laddie will take me away.

[The person picked to dance stays in the ring and she is now ‘on’.]

On the Mountain

On the mountain stands a lady,

Who she is I cannot tell.

All she wants is gold and silver,

All she wants is a nice young man.

So call in my Lucy dear, Lucy dear, Lucy dear.

So call in my Lucy dear, Lucy dear,

While I go out to play.

Up and Down

[The rope is swung ‘peppers’, or fast, all the way through. It is swung as ‘bumps’ on each place name.]

Up and down, up and down (walks on the spot instead of jumping)

All the way to London Town, 

Swish swash swish swash, (jump left and right instead of on the spot)

All the way to Kings Cross,

Leg swing, leg swing, (jump on one foot, swinging the other)

All the way to Berlin, 

Heel toe, heel toe (jump on the heel of one foot and the toe of the other)

All the way to Jericho. (do bumps for each syllable of Jericho and the final time try to land on the rope)

The Wind Blows High

[One person is picked to stand in the middle, they are ‘on’. The rest of join hands and skip around in a circle around them]

The wind, the wind, the wind blows high, snow comes falling from the sky, Mary Walker says she’ll die for want of the Golden City.   The wind the wind, the wind blows high, the snow comes falling from the sky, Mary Walker says she’ll die for the want of the Golden City.   She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the pearl of Golden City, She is handsome, one, two, three, come and tell me who shall be,

[On ‘one, two, three’ the person who is on picks out three of those in the ring to pick a person they suspect the ‘on’ fancies] H is his first name, his first name, his first name, H is his first name ee-aye-oh sir, B is his second name, his second name, his second name, B is his second name ee-aye-oh, sir Harry Bradbury is his name, is his name, is his name, Harry Bradbury is his name, ee-aye-oh, sir   Now it’s time to hide your face, hide your face, hide your face, Now’s it’s time to hide your face ee-aye-oh, sir Now’s the time to show your face, show your face, show your face, Now’s the time to show your face ee-aye-oh, sir Now’s the time to choose the one, choose the one, choose the one, now’s the time to choose the one, ee-aye-oh, sir

[Follow the instructions. Splits is a jump with your legs out as wide as possible.]

Not last night but the night before

24 robbers came knocking at my door,

As I ran out, (run out and around one of the enders)

They ran in, (jump back in)

Then they knocked me on the head 

With a rolling pin.

I asked them what they wanted

and this is what they said:

'Spanish dancer turn around,

Spanish dancer touch the ground,

Spanish dancer do high kicks,

House to let, 

apply within,

When I go out 

Emily comes in.

All in together girls,

Here’s some nice weather girls,

When I call your birthday,

Please jump in.

Granny in the kitchen, 

doin’ a bit of stitchin’, 

Here comes Lily

To push her out.

Cinderella, 

Dressed in yella,

Went to the ball 

and kissed a fella.

How many kisses did she get?

While you can just say ‘Bagsy not me’, that’s not likely to work since it’s too simple to be impressive. Make up a combination of these and you’re sure to make your bagsy count.

- Turn around touch the ground.

- Touch air

- Touch blue

- Touch sky

- Touch me

- Touch you

- Touch shoe