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).
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 grass 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).
[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.