Hand in hand you see us well
Creep like a snail out of his shell.
Ever farther, ever farther,
Ever wider, ever wider.
Who'd have thought this tiny shell
Could have held us all so well.
SNAIL
The players all stand in line holding hands; while singing the first verse they wind up in a spiral, following the leader, who walks in a circle growing ever smaller until all are wound up, still holding hands. The leader then turns and unwinds, until all are again in one long line.
This "winding up" is a very old traditional feature in games, and is supposed to have originated in tree worship.