Volume Ii Part 69 (1/2)

-Northants (Rev. W. Sweeting).

x.x.xI. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growin' up so high, Neither me nor my baby shall ever wish to die, Especially [girl's name], she's the prettiest flower.

She can dance, and she can sing, and she can tell the hour, With her wee-waw, wy-waw, turn her face to the wall.

-Howth, Dublin (Miss H. E. Harvey).

Or,

Turn your back to all the game.

-Bonmahon, Waterford (Miss H. E. Harvey).

x.x.xII. Sally, Sally, wall-flower [or Waters], Springing up so high, We're all fair maids, And we shall all die.

Excepting [girl's name], She's the fairest daughter, She can hop, and she can skip, She can turn the organ.

Turn your face toward the wall, And tell me who your sweetheart's called.

Mr. Moffit is a very good man, He came to the door with his hat in his hand, He pulled up his cloak, and showed me the ring; To-morrow, to-morrow, the wedding begins.

First he bought the frying-pan, Then he bought the cradle, And then one day the baby was born, Rock, rock the cradle.

-Hurstmonceux, Suss.e.x (Miss Chase).

x.x.xIII. Water, water, wild flowers, Growing up so high, We are all maidens, And we shall all die, Excepting [Eva Irving], And she's the youngest of us all, And she can hop, and she can skip, And she can turn the candlestick, [Or ”She can play the organ.”]

Piper shame! piper shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

I pick up a pin, I knock at the door, I ask for --, She's neither in, She's neither out, She's up the garden skipping about.

Down come --, as white as snow, Soft in her bosom as soft as glow.

She pulled off her glove, And showed us her ring, To-morrow, to-morrow, The bells shall ring.

-Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).

x.x.xIV. Water, water, wall-flowers, growing up so high, We are all maidens, and we must all die, Except --, she's the only one, She can dance, she can sing, she can play the organ, Fie, fie, fie for shame, turn your face to the wall again.

Green grevel, green grevel, the gra.s.s is so green, The fairest young lady that ever was seen.

O --, O --, your true love is dead, He'll send you a letter to turn back your head.

-Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).

x.x.xV. [Mary Kelly's] stole away, stole away, stole away, [Mary Kelly's] stole away, And lost her lily-white flowers.

It's well seen by her pale face, her pale face, her pale face, It's well seen by her pale face, She may turn her face to the wall.

-Belfast (W. H. Patterson).

(_c_) The children form a ring by joining hands. They all dance slowly round, singing the words. When the one child is named by the ring she turns round, so that her face is turned to the outside of the ring and her back inside. She still clasps hands with those on either side of her, and dances or walks round with them. This is continued until all the players have turned and are facing outwards.

This concludes the game in many places, but in others the game is continued by altering the last line of the verses, and the children alternately turning round when named until they all face inside again.