"Whom will you send to fetch her away,
On a May morning early?"
"We'll send [naming a strong girl] to pull her away,
On a May morning early."
The game is continued until all players are brought to one side.
Charlestown, W. Va.
This game is probably a recent importation from England, where it is very well known. It seems likely that the imitative dance really belongs to the season of nut-gathering,[78] and that the phrase, "Nuts of May," and the refrain, have crept in from its later use as a May-game.
No. 27.
Here I Brew, and Here I Bake.
A ring of children clasp hands by clenching fingers; a single child within the circle repeats the rhyme, making appropriate gestures over successive pairs of hands; at the last words he (or she) throws himself (or herself) against what is thought the most penetrable point.
Here I brew and here I bake,
And here I make my wedding-cake,
And here I must break through.
The following is a different version: