Mary mixed a pudding up,
She mixed it very sweet,
She daren’t stick a knife in
Till John came home at neet [ = night].
Taste John, taste John, don’t say nay,
Perhaps to-morrow morning will be our wedding-day.
The bells shall ring and we shall sing,
And all clap hands together (round the ring).
Up the lane and down,
It’s slippery as a glass,
If we go to Mrs. ——
We’ll find a nice young lass.
Mary with the rosy cheeks,
Catch her if you can;
And if you cannot catch her,
We’ll tell you her young man.
—Hanging Heaton (Herbert Hardy).
A ring is formed by the children joining hands, one child in the centre. The first verse is sang. Two children from the ring go to the one in the centre and ask her who is her love, or as they say here [Yorks.], “who she goes with;” after that the rest is sung.
See “[All the Boys].”
Merrils
See “[Nine Men’s Morris].”