As soon as the last one is wound up, no matter in what part of the 3-8 time music they may be, they leave off and begin to jump up and down, and sing to the 2-4 music.—Essex (Miss Dendy).
This game is called “Wind up the Watch” in Wolstanton, North Staffordshire Potteries, and is played in the same manner. The words are only, “Wind up the Watch,” and are said. When all the players are wound up they begin to unwind, saying, “Unwind the Watch.”—Miss Bush. Called “Wind up Jack” in Shropshire. It is the closing game of any playtime, and was played before “breaking-up” at a boys’ school at Shrewsbury, 1850-56. The players form a line hand in hand, the tallest at one end, who stands still; the rest walk round and round him or her, saying, “Wind up Jack! Wind up Jack!” (or at Ellesmere, “Roll up the tobacco-box”), till “Jack” is completely imprisoned. They then “jog up and down,” crying, “A bundle o’ rags, a bundle o’ rags!”—Berrington, Ellesmere (Shropshire Folk-lore, p. 521).
In Scotland the game is known as “[Row-chow-Tobacco];” a long chain of boys hold each other by the hands: they have one standing steadily at one of the extremities, who is called the Pin. Round him the rest coil like a watch chain round the cylinder, till the act of winding is completed. A clamorous noise succeeds, in which the cry Row-chow-Tobacco prevails; after giving and receiving the fraternal hug, they disperse, and afterwards renew the process. In West of Scotland, it is Rowity-chow-o’-Tobacco, pronounced, rowity-chowity-bacco, and as the first syllable of each word is shouted, another hug or squeeze is given. The game is not so common as formerly. The same game is played in West Cornwall by Sunday-school children at their out-of-door treats, and is called “Roll Tobacco.”
It is known as “The Old Oak Tree” in Lincoln, Kelsey, and Winterton, and is played in the same manner. When coiling round, the children sing—
Round and round the old oak tree:
I love the girls and the girls love me.
When they have twisted into a closely-packed crowd they dance up and down, tumbling on each other, crying—
A bottle of rags, a bottle of rags.
In the Anderby and Nottinghamshire version of the game the children often sing—
The old oak tree grows thicker and thicker every Monday morning.
—Miss M. Peacock.