Ricket, racket, find it, tack it,
And niver give it to the aunder.
Or, sometimes the following:
No halfers,
Findee, keepee;
Lossee, seekee.
Boys leaving the schoolroom are accustomed to shout—
Those that go my way, butter and eggs,
Those that go your way, chop off their legs.
A sort of persuasive inducement, I suppose, for them to follow the speaker for the sake of forming a party for a game.
[XI.—NURSERY-SONGS.]
- [BILLY, MY SON.]
- [MY COCK LILY-COCK.]
- [JACK SPRAT.]
- [DABBLING IN THE DEW.]
- [HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE!]
- [TOMMY LINN.]
- [THE BEGGARS OF RATCLIFFE FAIR.]
The earliest and simplest form in which the nursery song appears is the lullaby, which may be defined a gentle song used for the purpose of inducing sleep. The term was generally, though not exclusively, confined to nurses:
Philomel, with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby.