Of the "Eeny, feenity, fickety, feg" rhyme, we find these evident varieties. This, said to be used in the West of Scotland:—
Zeeny, meeny, fickety, fick,Deal, doll, dominick;Zarity-panty, on a rock, toosh!
This in Cumberland:—
Eeny, pheeny, figgery, fegg,Deely, dyly, ham and egg.Calico back, and stony rock,Arlum, barlum, bash!
In the United States:—
Inty, minty, tippity, fig,Dinah, donah, norma, nig,Oats, floats, country notes;Dinah, donah, tiz,Hulla-ballop-bulloo,Out goes you!
This curious one in Edinburgh:—
Inty, tinty, tethery, methery,Bank for over, Dover, ding,Aut, taut, toosh;Up the Causey, down the Cross,There stands a bonnie white horse:It can gallop, it can trot,It can carry the mustard pot.One, two, three, out goes she!
Again, in Scotland:—
Inky, pinky, peerie-winkie,Hi domin I.Arky, parky, tarry rope,Ann, tan, toozy Jock.
This is truly American—the first line of which, by the bye, is derived from, or is borrowed by, the College song, "King of the Cannibal Islands":—
Hoky poky, winky wum,How do you like your 'taters done?Snip, snap, snorum,High popolorum,Kate go scratch it,You are out!
That this also is from beyond the "pond" is evident:—
As I was walking down the lake,I met a little rattlesnake.I gave him so much jelly-cake,It made his little belly ache.One, two, three, out goes she!
In the West of Scotland they sometimes say:—
Ease, ose, man's nose;Cauld parritch, pease brose.
Forfarshire bairns say:—
Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer,Doon i' Carnoustie, merchant-dale.Leddy Celestie, Sandy Testie,Bonnie poppy-show.You—are—out!
And elsewhere, but still in Scotland:—
Eatum, peatum, potum, pie,Babylonie, stickum, stie,Dog's tail, hog's snout,I'm in, you're out.
Or:—
Eerie, orie, owre the dam,Fill your poke and let us gang;Black fish and white trout,Eerie, orie, you are out.
Another goes:—
A ha'penny puddin', a ha'penny pie,Stand you there, you're out by.
The last appears in Chambers'Popular Rhymes of Scotland, which interesting collection embraces also the next two. First:—
My grandfather's man and me fell out,How will we bring the matter about?We'll bring it about as weel as we can,And a' for the sake o' my grandfather's man.
Second:—
Master Foster, very good man,Sweeps his college now and than,After that he takes a danceUp from London down to France,With a black bonnet and a white snout,Stand you there, you are out.
In Glasgow, I am told, the next one used to be common:—
As I gaed up the apple treeA' the apples fell on me;Bake a puddin', bake a pie,Send it up to John Mackay;John Mackay is no in,Send it up to the man i' the mune;The man i' the mune's mendin' his shoon,Three bawbees and a farden in.
Also this:—
As I went up the apple tree,All the apples fell on me;Bake a puddin', bake a pie,Did you ever tell a lie?Yes I did, and many times.O-U-T, out goes sheRight in the middle of the deep blue sea.
And this:—
Eerie, orie, ickery, am,Pick ma nick, and slick ma slam.Oram, scoram, pick ma noram,Shee, show, sham, shutter,You—are—out!
In England and Scotland alike this has been used, with slight variations, for at least a hundred years:—
As I went up the brandy hill,I met my father, wi' gude will;He had jewels, he had rings,He had mony braw things;He'd a cat and nine tails,He'd a hammer wantin' nails.Up Jock, doun Tam,Blaw the bellows, auld man.The auld man took a dance,First to London, then to France.
Another:—
Queen, Queen Caroline,Dipped her hair in turpentine;Turpentine made it shine,Queen, Queen Caroline.
And yet another:—
Tit, tat, toe,Here I go,And if I miss,I pitch on this.
The following have long been in active use all over Scotland, if not also elsewhere:—
Zeenty, teenty, halligo lum,Pitchin' tawties doun the lum.Wha's there? Johnnie Blair.What d'ye want? A bottle o' beer.Where's your money? In my purse.Where's your purse? In my pocket.Where's your pocket? I forgot it.Go down the stair, you silly blockhead.You—are—out.
Zeenty, teenty, alligo, dan,Bobs o' vinegar, gentleman,Kiss, toss, mouse, fat,Bore a needle, bum a fiddle,Jink ma jeerie, jink ma jye,Stand you there, you're out bye.
One, two, three, four,Jenny at the cottage door,Eating cherries aff a plate,Five, six, seven, eight.
Zeenty, teenty, feggerie fell,Pompaleerie jig.Every man who has no hairGenerally wears a wig.
Mistress Mason broke a basin,How much will it be?Half-a-crown. Lay it down.Out goes she!
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,All good children go to heaven;When they die their sin's forgiven,One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,All good children go to heaven:A penny by the water,Tuppence by the sea,Threepence by the railway,Out goes she!
Me and the minister's wife coost out.Guess ye what it was about?Black puddin', dish-clout,Eerie, orrie, you are out!
Master Monday, how's your wife?Very sick, and like to die.Can she eat? O yes,As much as I can buy.She makes the porridge very thin,A pound of butter she puts in,Black puddin', white clout,Eerie, orrie, you are out!
Inky pinky, my black henLays eggs for gentlemen;Whiles ane, whiles twa,Whiles a bonnie black craw.One—two—three,You—are—out!
Eeny, meeny, clean peeny,If you want a piece and jeely,Just walk out!
John says to John,How much are your geese?John says to John,Twenty cents a-piece.John says to John,That's too dear;John says to John,Get out of here!
Ching, Ching, Chinaman,How do you sell your fish?Ching, Ching, Chinaman,Six bits a dish.Ching, Ching, Chinaman,Oh! that's too dear;Ching, Ching, Chinaman,Clear out of here!
Lemons and oranges, two for a penny,I'm a good scholar that counts so many.The rose is red, the leaves are green,The days are past that I have seen.
I doot, I doot,My fire is out,And my little dog's not at home:I'll saddle my cat, and I'll bridle my dog,And send my little boy home.Home, home again, home!
Jenny, good spinner,Come down to your dinner,And taste the leg of a roasted frog!I pray ye, good people,Look owre the kirk steeple,And see the cat play wi' the dog!
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,Haud the horse till I win on;Haud him siccar, haud him fair,Haud him by a pickle hair.One, two, three,You are out!
Around the house, arickity-rary,I hope ye'll meet the green canary:You say ay, I say no,Hold fast—let go!
Scottie Malottie, the king o' the Jews,Sell't his wife for a pair o' shoes;When the shoes began to wearScottie Malottie began to swear.
In Dundee these lines are added to the "Eenity feenity" rhyme:—
Jock out, Jock in,Jock through a hickle-pin.Eetle-ottle, black bottle;Eetle-ottle, out!
This, more commonly used as a test of truth-telling (little fingers being linked while it is uttered), is also used on the East Coast as a counting-out rhyme:—
I ring, I ring, a pinky!If I tell a lieI'll go to the bad placeWhenever I die.White pan, black pan,Burn me to death,Tak' a muckle gullyAnd cut my breath.Ten miles below the earth.Amen!
But these all, of course, as already stated, have been delivered and acted, as they are still, rather as a prelude to the more elaborate games designed to follow than as a part of them, and to afford designedly the opportunity of deciding emphatically who shall be "it" or "takkie."
When by the aid of the "chapping-out" rhyme it has been decided who should be "it," the game to follow may be "Single Tig," "Cross Tig," "Burly Bracks Round the Stacks," "Pussie in the Corner," "Bonnety," "The Tod and the Hounds," "I Spy," "Smuggle the Keg," "Booly Horn," "Dock," "Loup the Frog," "Foot and a Half," "Bools," "Pitch and Toss," or any one of another dozen, all of which are essentially boys' games, and have no rhymes to enliven their action. But if it is to be a game in which both sexes may equally engage, or a game for girls alone, then almost certainly there is a rhyme with it. Somehow girls have always been more musical than boys, even as in their maturer years they are more frequently the subject of song than their confreres of the sterner sex. "Peever," "Tig," and "Skipping Rope," are indeed, so far as I can recall at the moment, about all of the girls' commoner games which are played without the musical accompaniment of line and verse. Their rhyme-games, on the other hand, are legion, and embrace "A Dis, a Dis, a Green Grass," "The Merry-Ma-Tanzie," "The Mulberry Bush," "Carry My Lady to London," "I Dree I Droppit It," "Looby-Looby," and ever so many more.
Like the counting-out rhymes, the game-rhymes are found in only slightly differing forms in widely dividedcountries and places. But ever alike, they are never quite the same. The "Merry-Ma-Tanzie," for instance, though always the same in name, will be found with varying lines in almost every town and village in Scotland even. There are variants equally, I suppose, of all.
"Merry-ma-Tanzie" is solely a girls' game, of which boys, however, may be interested spectators. The counting-out rhyme having put one in the centre, the rest join hands in a ring about her, and moving slowly round, they sing:—
Here we go round the jingo-ring,The jingo-ring, the jingo-ring,Here we go round the jingo-ring,About the merry-ma-tanzie.
Twice about and then we fa',Then we fa', then we fa',Twice about and then we fa',About the merry-ma-tanzie.
Choose your maidens all around,All around, all around,Choose your maidens all around,About the merry-ma-tanzie.
Replying to this invitation, the one in the centre chooses two from the circle, and retires with them a short distance away. During their absence the ring-band proceeds as before, and sing with imitating gesture:—
Sweep the house ere the bride comes in,The bride comes in, the bride comes in,Sweep the house ere the bride comes in,About the merry-ma-tanzie.
When those who left return, the one who was in the centre takes up her original position, as also do the others, and the ring moves on again with:—
Here's a bride new come hame,New come hame, new come hame;Here's a bride new come hame,About the merry-ma-tanzie.
Then follows "Mary Anderson is her name," with the usual repeats, and "Guess ye wha is her true love," "A bottle o' wine to tell his name," "Andrew Wilson is his name," "Honey is sweet and so is he," (or "Apples are sour and so is he,") "He's married her wi' a gay gold ring," "A gay gold ring's a cank'rous thing," "But now they're married we wish them joy," "Father and mother they must obey," "Loving each other like sister and brother," "We pray this couple may kiss together," all, of course, sung with their repeats as above; and the game may be played until every little girl has revealed her little sweetheart's name, which, to be sure, is themotifof the play.
"The Mulberry Bush," which goes to the same air as "Merry-Ma-Tanzie," and is in some places called "The Mulberry Tree," and in others "The Gooseberry Bush," is yet more of an action game. The arrangement is again in a ring, and, moving round hand-in-hand, all sing:—
Here we go round the mulberry bush,The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush;Here we go round the mulberry bush,On a cold and frosty morning.
Stopping short with a curtsey at the conclusion and disjoining hands, they stand, and imitating the process of hand-washing, they sing:—
This is the way we wash our hands,Wash our hands, wash our hands,This is the way we wash our hands,On a cold and frosty morning.
All joining hands again, they go round as before, singing—"Here we go round the mulberry bush," and so on, which is repeated regularly after each action-verse on to the end. The opening lines of the action-verses alone may be given here to suggest the whole. They are:—
"This is the way we lace our stays.""This is the way we comb our hair.""This is the way we walk to school.""This is the way we return from school.""This is the way the ladies walk.""This is the way the gentlemen walk."
"A Dis, a Dis, a Green Grass," is so simple it is a favourite generally with very little ladies. And there are different forms of the game, both in Scotland and England, if not also in other countries. The more common way, however, is for the children to stand all in a row, and, when the counting-out rhyme has been applied once and again, the two who have been "hit out" face up together hand-in-hand in front, and, advancing and retiring, sing:—
A dis, a dis, a green grass,A dis, a dis, a dis;Come all ye pretty fair maids,And dance along with us.
For we are going a-roving,A-roving o'er the land;We'll take this pretty fair maid,We'll take her by the hand.
This sung, they select a girl from the group, who joins on either side, as she is directed, and the song continues, bearing now the comforting assurance to the one chosen:—
Ye shall have a duck, my dear,And ye shall have a beau;And ye shall have a young princeBy chance to marry you.
And if this young prince he should die,Then ye will get another;And the birds will sing and the bells will ring,And we'll all clap hands together.
Having all joined in the last two verses, all clap hands together. And the same process is repeated again and again until the last of the "pretty fair maids" is taken over from the row, when the game is ended—though it may be but to begin again as the desire is expressed and supported.
Some one, to be sure, may suggest "Looby-Looby," which has but to be named when all are ready and eager. A ring is formed, when all join hands and dance round singing:—
Here we go looby-looby,Here we go looby light;Here we go looby-loobyEvery Saturday night.
Why on Saturday nights only I don't know, and it would be futile, I suppose, to inquire. Anyway, with the expression of the last word they all instantly disjoin hands, and, standing each in her place, they sing the next verse, suiting the action to the word:—
Put your right hand in,Take your right hand out;Shake it, and shake it, and shake it,And turn yourself about.
As the last line is being sung each one wheels rapidly round by herself, then hands are joined again, and they scurry round in a ring as before, singing:—
Here we go looby-looby,Here we go looby light;Here we go looby-loobyEvery Saturday night,
and so on, the "looby-looby" coming in regularly between each of the action-verses, which are varied by "left hand in" and "out," and "right foot in" and "out," and "left foot in" and "out," "noses," "ears," etc., etc., the game finishing only when the anatomy of the players has been exhausted.
"I Dree I Droppit It" calls for a mixture of the sexes, and when the numbers are even—or as nearly as chance affords—the players are ranged in a ring, a boy and girl alternately facing inwards with a space between each. The one who is "chapped out"—say it is a girl—goes tripping round the others' backs, with a handkerchief dangling in her hand, singing the while:—
I sent a letter to my love,And by the way I droppit it,I dree, I dree, I droppit it,I dree, I dree, I droppit it;I sent a letter to my love,And by the way I droppit it.
There's a wee, wee doggie in our cot-neuk,He'll no bite you, he'll no bite you;There's a wee, wee doggie in our cot-neuk,He'll no bite you—nor you—nor you—nor you,
and so forth, until at length she drops the handkerchief stealthily at the heel of one of the little boys, saying "but you," and bolts round this player, round that one, in here, out there, and away! And the boy, who has first to pick up the handkerchief, gives chase, pursuing her exactly in the course which she may choose to take. If he makes a wrong turn, by that fact he is "out," and must take her place; but if he pursues her correctly and overtakes her, he may claim a kiss for his pains, for which heroism he will receive the applause of the crowd; and the girl—suffused with blushes, as it may be—must try and try again—indeed, try until she proves herself more agile than her pursuer, whom, of course, she is always free to choose. When at length—as come it will some time—her effort is successful, she takes her victim's place in the ring, and he takes hers on the outside of it. And thus the play may go on—boy and girl about—as long as time and energy will permit.
As for "Bab at the Bowster" (more generally pronounced "Babbity Bowster"), I am not sure but that grown people have engaged in it more than weefolks have. Indeed, it is not improbable that the young borrowed this originally from the old, by observation. Now-a-days, undoubtedly, we know it exclusively as a child's play. But yet, within the memory of living men, it was the regular custom in country places nearly over all Scotland to wind up every dancing-ball with "Bab at the Bowster." No wedding dance, no Handsel Monday ball, would have been esteemed complete without it; and I have seen it performed at both, less than forty years ago. Performed by old or young, however, the mode is the same. The girls sit down on one side of the barn or square, the boys on the other. A boy takes a handkerchief—it is regularly a male who starts this play—and while dancing up and down before the girls, all sing:—
Wha learned you to dance,Bab at the bowster, bab at the bowster;Wha learned you to dance,Bab at the bowster brawly?
My minnie learned me to dance,Bab at the bowster, bab at the bowster;My minnie learned me to dance,Bab at the bowster brawly.
Wha ga'e you the keys to keep,Bab at the bowster, bab at the bowster;Wha ga'e you the keys to keep,Bab at the bowster brawly?
My minnie ga'e me the keys to keep,Bab at the bowster, bab at the bowster;My minnie ga'e me the keys to keep,Bab at the bowster brawly.
Kneel down and kiss the ground,Kiss the ground, kiss the ground;Kneel down and kiss the ground,Kiss the bonnie wee lassie.
By the time the last verse has been reached the boy has fixed on his partner, and at the command to "kneel down and kiss the ground" he spreads the handkerchief on the floor at the girl's feet, on which both immediately kneel. A kiss ensues, even though it should be obtained after a struggle; then the boy marches away round and round followed by the girl, while all again sing the song. By the time the last verse is again reached, the girl in turn has selected the next boy, but does not kneel down before him. She simply throws the handkerchief in his lap, and immediately joins her own partner by taking his arm. If, however, she can be overtaken before she joins her partner, a penalty kiss may be enforced. Second boy selects second girl as the first did the first girl, and pair after pair is formed in the same fashion until all are up and marching arm-in-arm round the room, or square, when the game is finished. At adult assemblies, I should state, even as the company paired in this dance, they departed for home.
"The Wadds" is another game in which grown folks no less than children may engage, and which, like "Bab at the Bowster," is essentially a house game. Its mode is for the players to be seated round the hearth, the lasses on one side and the lads on the other. One of the lads first chants:—
O, it's hame, and its hame, it's hame, hame, hame,I think this nicht I maun gang hame.
To which one of the opposite party responds:—
Ye had better licht, and bide a' nicht,And I'll choose ye a partner bonnie and bricht.
The first speaker again says:—
Then wha wad ye choose an' I wad bide?
Answer:—
The fairest and best in a' the countryside.
At the same time presenting a female and mentioning her name. If the choice is satisfactory, the male player will say:—
I'll set her up on the bonnie pear tree,It's straucht and tall and sae is she;I wad wauk a' nicht her love to be.
If, however, the choice is not satisfactory, he may reply:—
I'll set her up on the auld fael dyke,Where she may rot ere I be ripe;The corbies her auld banes wadna pyke.
Or (if the maiden be of surly temper):—
I'll set her up on the high crab-tree,It's sour and dour, and sae is she;She may gang to the mools unkissed for me.
But he may decline civilly, by saying:—
She's for another, she's no for me,I thank ye for your courtesie.
A similar ritual is gone through with respect to one of the gentler sex, where such rhymes as the followingare used. In the case of acceptance the lady will say:—
I'll set him up at my table-head,And feed him there wi' milk and bread.
Whereas, if the proposal is not agreeable, her reply may be:—
I'll put him on a riddle, and blaw him owre the sea,Wha will buy [Jamie Paterson] for me?
Or:—
I'll set him up on a high lum-heid,And blaw 'im in the air wi' poother and lead.
A refusal on either side must, of course, be atoned for by a "wadd," or forfeit—which may consist of a piece of money, a knife, a thimble, or any little article which the owner finds convenient for the purpose. Then, when a sufficient number of persons have made forfeits, the business of redeeming them commences, which may afford any amount of amusement. He, or she, as the case happens, may be ordered to "kiss the four corners of the room;" "bite an inch off the poker;" "kneel to the prettiest, bow to the wittiest, and kiss the one he (or she) loves best," or any one of a dozen similarly silly ordeals, as the doomster proposes, may have to be gone through. When the forfeits have all been redeemed the game is ended.
Similar to the foregoing, in some respects, is "The Wadds and the Wears," which John Mactaggart, the writer ofThe Gallovidian Encyclopædia, describes as (in his day) "the most celebrated amusement of the ingle-ring" in the south-west of Scotland. As in the"Wadds," the players are seated round the hearth. One in the ring (says Mactaggart), speaks as follows:—
I hae been awa' at the wadds and the wears,These seven lang years;And's come hame a puir broken ploughman;What will ye gie me to help me to my trade?
He may either say he's a "puir broken ploughman," or any other trade; but since he has chosen that trade, some of the articles belonging to it must always be given or offered, in order to recruit him. But the article he most wants he privately tells one of the party, who is not allowed, of course, to offer him anything, as he knows the thing, which will throw theoffererin awadd, and must be avoided as much as possible—for to be in awaddis a very serious matter, as shall afterwards be explained. Now the one on the left hand of the poor ploughman makes the first offer, by way of answer to what above was said: "I'll gie ye acoulterto help ye to your trade."
The ploughman answers, "I don't thank ye for yourcoulter, I hae ane already." Then another offers him another article belonging to the ploughman's business, such as themool-brod, but this also is refused; another, perhaps, gives thesock, another thestilts, another thespattle, another thenaigs, another thenaig-graith, and so on; until one gives thesoam, which was the article he most wanted, and was the thing secretly told to one, and is the thing that throws the giver in awadd, out of which he is relieved in the following manner:—
The ploughman says to the one in thewadd, "Whether will ye hae three questions and twa commands, or three commands and twa questions, to answer or gang on wi', sae that ye may win oot o' thewadd?"For the one so fixed has always the choice which of these alternatives to take. Suppose he takes the first, two commands and three questions, then a specimen of these may run so:—
"I command ye to kiss thecrook," says the ploughman, which must be completely obeyed by the one in thewadd—his naked lips must salute thesootyimplement.
"Secondly," saith the ploughman, "I command ye to stand up in that neuk, and say—
'Here stan' I, as stiffs a stake,Wha'll kiss me for pity's sake?'"
Which must also be done; in a corner of the house must he stand and repeat that couplet, till some tender-hearted lass relieves him. Now for the questions which are most deeply laid, or sotouchingto him, that he finds much difficulty to answer them.
"Firstly, then, Suppose ye were sittin' aside Maggie Lowden and Jennie Logan, your twa great sweethearts, what ane o'm wad ye ding ower, and what ane wad ye turn to and clap and cuddle?" He makes answer by choosing Maggie Lowden, perhaps, to the great mirth of the party.
"Secondly, then, Suppose you were standin' oot i' the cauld, on the tap o' Cairnhattie, whether wad ye cry on Peggie Kirtle or Nell o' Killimingie to come wi' your plaid?"
He answers again in a similar manner.
"Lastly, then, Suppose you were in a boat wi' Tibbie Tait, Mary Kairnie, Sallie Snadrap, and Kate o' Minnieive, and it was to cowp wi' ye, what ane o'm wad yesink? what ane wad yesoom? wha wad ye bring to lan'? and wha wad ye marry?" Then he answersagain, to the fun of the company, perhaps, in this way, "I wad sink Mary Kairnie, soom Tibbie Tait, bring Sallie Snadrap aneath my oxter to lan', and marry sweet Kate o' Minnieive."
And so ends that bout at thewadds and the wears.
But the games engaged in exclusively by the "wee folks" are the really delightsome ones. Such is "The Widow of Babylon," the ritual of which, less elaborate, resembles that of "Merry-Ma-Tanzie," though the rhymes are different. Girls only play here. One is chosen for the centre. The others, with hands joined, form a ring about her, and move round briskly, singing:—
Here's a poor widow from Babylon,With six poor children all alone;One can bake, and one can brew,One can shape, and one can sew.One can sit at the fire and spin,One can bake a cake for the king;Come choose you east, come choose you west,Come choose the one that you love best.
The girl in the middle chooses one from the ring, naming her, and sings:—
I choose the fairest that I do see,[Jeanie Anderson] come to me.
The girl chosen enters the ring, communicating the name of her sweetheart, when those in the ring resume their lightsome motion, and sing:—
Now they are married, I wish them joy,Every year a girl or boy;Loving each other like sister and brother,I pray this couple may kiss together.