Gammer Gurton's Garland.
OR
THE NURSERY PARNASSUS
A Choice Collection of Pretty Songs and Verses for
the Amusement of all Little Good Children
who can neither read nor run.
LONDON, 1810
REPRINTED FOR
HUGH HOPKINS, GLASGOW
1866
Printed by R. Clark, Edinburgh.
"Gammer Gurton's Garland, or the Nursery Parnassus," was originally issued at Stockton, as a small twopenny brochure, in 32mo, without a date, "printed by and for R. Christopher." Sir Harris Nicholas says it appeared in the year 1783, "one of the most prolific of Ritson's pen." Haslewood is of opinion that it appeared about the same period as "The Bishopric Garland, or Durham Minstrel," which was printed at Stockton for the same R. Christopher in 1784. "Gammer Gurton's Garland" was again printed, with additions, 1809, in 8vo. This little work, a great favourite with those for whose amusement it was compiled, has been more than once reprinted since. The present edition has been very carefully executed, and rendered complete by the addition of an index.
The impression has been limited to one hundred copies small paper, and twelve copies large paper.
Glasgow, mdccclxvi.
PART I.
THE FROG AND MOUSE.
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone and I.
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
And a farce[A] mouse in a mill.
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone and I.
This frog he would a wooing ride,
Kitty alone, etc.
This frog he would a wooing ride,
And on a snail he got astride.
Cock me cary, etc.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
Kitty alone, etc.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
And there he did both knock and call.
Cock me cary, etc.
Quoth he, Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
Kitty alone, etc.
Quoth he, Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
To see if thou can fancy me.
Cock me cary, etc.
Quoth she, Answer I'll give you none,
Kitty alone, etc.
Quoth she, Answer I'll give you none,
Until my uncle Rat come home.
Cock me cary, etc.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Kitty alone, etc.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Who's been here since I've been gone?
Cock me cary, etc.
Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
Kitty alone, etc.
Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
That's been here since you've been gone.
Cock me cary, etc.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
Kitty alone, etc.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
And there he met with a dainty duck.
Cock me cary, etc.
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone,
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
So there's an end of my history book.
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone and I.
THE LADY AND THE SWINE.
There was a lady lov'd a swine,
Honey, quoth she,
Pig-hog, wilt thou be mine?
Hoogh, quoth he.
I'll build thee a silver stye,
Honey, quoth she,
And in it thou shalt lye;
Hoogh, quoth he.
Pinn'd with a silver pin,
Honey, quoth she,
That thou may go out and in,
Hoogh, quoth he.
Wilt thou now have me now,
Honey? quoth she,
Hoogh, hoogh, hoogh, quoth he,
And went his way.
THE CAMBRICK SHIRT.
Can you make me a cambrick shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Without any seam or needle work?
And you shall be a true lover of mine.
Can you wash it in yonder well,
Parsley, etc.
Where never sprung water, nor rain ever fell?
And you, etc.
Can you dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, etc.
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born?
And you, etc.
Now you have ask'd me questions three,
Parsley, etc.
I hope you'll answer as many for me,
And you, etc.
Can you find me an acre of land,
Parsley, etc.
Between the salt water and the sea sand?
And you, etc.
Can you plow it with a ram's horn,
Parsley, etc.
And sow it all over with one pepper corn?
And you, etc.
Can you reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, etc.
And bind it up with a peacock's feather,
And you, etc.
When you have done and finish'd your work,
Parsley, etc.
Then come to me for your cambrick shirt.
And you, etc.
THE CELEBRATED SONG OF
LONDON BRIDGE IS BROKEN DOWN.
London bridge is broken down,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
London Bridge is broken down,
With a gay lady.
How shall we build it up again?
Dance o'er my lady lee,
How shall we build it up again?
With a gay lady.
Silver and gold will be stole away,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
Silver and gold will be stole away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with iron and steel,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
Build it up with iron and steel,
With a gay lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with wood and clay,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
Build it up with wood and clay,
With a gay lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
Wood and clay will wash away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with stone so strong,
Dance o'er my lady lee,
Huzza! 'twill last for ages long,
With a gay lady.
THE SONG OF
THE THREE CHILDREN.
Tune—"Chevy Chace."
Three children sliding on the ice,
Upon a summer's day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.
Now had these children been at home,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny,
They had not all been drown'd.
You parents that have children dear,
And eke you that have none,
If you will have them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home.
ROBIN, BOBBIN, RICHARD, AND JOHN:
OR, THE WREN SHOOTING.
We'll go a shooting, says Robin to Bobbin;
We'll go a shooting, says Richard to Robin;
We'll go a shooting, says John all alone;
We'll go a shooting, says every one.
What shall we kill? says Robin to Bobbin;
What shall we kill? says Richard to Robin;
What shall we kill? says John all alone;
What shall we kill? says every one.
We'll shoot at that wren, says Robin to Bobbin;
We'll shoot at that wren, says Richard to Robin;
We'll shoot at that wren, says John all alone;
We'll shoot at that wren, says every one.
She's down, she's down, says Robin to Bobbin;
She's down, she's down, says Richard to Robin;
She's down, she's down, says John all alone;
She's down, she's down, says every one.
How shall we get her home? says Robin to Bobbin;
How shall we get her home? says Richard to Robin;
How shall we get her home? says John all alone;
How shall we get her home? says every one.
We'll hire a cart, says Robin to Bobbin;
We'll hire a cart, says Richard to Robin;
We'll hire a cart, says John all alone;
We'll hire a cart, says every one.
Then hoist, boys, hoist, says Robin to Bobbin;
Then hoist, boys, hoist, says Richard to Robin;
Then hoist, boys, hoist, says John all alone;
Then hoist, boys, hoist, says every one.
So they brought her away, after each pluck'd a feather,
And when they got home, shar'd the booty together.
THE SHORT COURTSHIP:
OR, THE LUSTY WOOER.
Here comes a lusty wooer,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Here comes a lusty wooer,
Lily bright and shine a.
Pray, who do you woo?
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Pray, who do you woo?
Lily bright and shine a.
For your fairest daughter,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
For your fairest daughter,
Lily bright and shine a.
Then there she is for you,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Then there she is for you,
Lily bright and shine a.
THE SONG OF
THE OLD WOMAN THAT WAS TOSS'D IN A BLANKET.
There was an old woman toss'd in a blanket
Seventeen times as high as the moon;
But where she was going no mortal could tell,
For under her arm she carry'd a broom.
Old woman, old woman, old woman, said I,
Whither, ah whither, ah whither so high?
To sweep the cobwebs from the sky,
And I'll be with you by and by.
THE OLD MAN AND THE OAK.
A NORTH-COUNTRY SONG.
Says t' auld man tit oak tree,
Young and lusty was I when I kenn'd thee;
I was young and lusty, I was fair and clear,
Young and lusty was I mony a lang year,
But sair fail'd am I, sair fail'd now,
Sair fail'd am I sen kenn'd thou.
A SOLEMN DIRGE.
Ding dong bell,
The cat is in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Green.
What a naughty boy was that,
To drown poor pussy cat,
Who never did him any harm,
And kill'd the mice in his father's barn.
TRIP UPON TRENCHES.
A MELANCHOLY SONG.
Trip upon trenches, and dance upon dishes,
My mother sent me for some barm, some barm;
She bid me tread lightly, and come again quickly,
For fear the young men should do me some harm.
Yet didn't you see, yet didn't you see,
What naughty tricks they put upon me:
They broke my pitcher,
And spilt the water,
And huff'd my mother,
And chid her daughter,
And kiss'd my sister instead of me.
T'OTHER LITTLE TUNE.
A VERY PLEASANT SONG.
Won't be my father's Jack,
I wont be my mother's Gill,
I will be the fiddler's wife,
And have music when I will.
T'other little tune,
T'other little tune,
Pr'ythee, love, play me
T'other little tune.
THE SONG OF
THE THREE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM,
WHO WENT TO SEA IN A BOWL.
Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl,
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song had been longer.
SONG OF SIXPENCE.
Sing a song of sixpence, a bag full of rye,
Four-and-twenty blackbirds bak'd in a pye;
And when the pye was open'd the birds began to sing,
And was not this a pretty dish to set before a king?
The king was in the parlour counting o'er his money,
The queen was in the kitchen, eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden laying out the clothes,
Up came a magpie and bit off her nose.[B]
[B] Quoted in Beaumont and Fletcher's Bonduca, act v. sc. ii.
THE SONG OF
THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE.
Sing hey diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jump'd over the moon,
The little dog laugh'd
To see such craft,
And the dish run away with the spoon.
THE WOODCOCK, THE SPARROW, AND THE LITTLE DOG.
I'll sing you a song:
The days are long,
The woodcock and the sparrow:
The little dog he has burnt his tail,
And he must be hang'd to-morrow.
THE SONG OF
THE TWO BIRDS.
There were two birds sat on a stone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
One flew away, and then there was one,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
The other flew after, and then there was none,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
And so the poor stone was left all alone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de.
THE SURPRISING OLD WOMAN.
There was an old woman, and what do you think?
She liv'd upon nothing but victuals and drink;
And tho' victuals and drink were the chief of her diet,
This plaguy old woman could never be quiet.
She went to the baker, to buy her some bread,
And when she came home, her old husband was dead;
She went to the clerk to toll the bell,
And when she came back her old husband was well.
THE MIRACULOUS GUINEA-PIG.
There was a little guinea-pig,
Who being little was not big,
He always walk'd upon his feet,
And never fasted when he eat.
When from a place he ran away,
He never at that place did stay;
And while he ran, as I am told,
He ne'er stood still for young or old.
He often squeak'd and sometimes vi'lent,
And when he squeak'd he ne'er was silent;
Tho' ne'er instructed by a cat,
He knew a mouse was not a rat.
One day, as I am certify'd,
He took a whim and fairly dy'd;
And as I'm told by men of sense,
He never has been living since.
THE SONG OF THE
PIPER AND THE FIDDLER'S WIFE.
We're all dry with drinking on't,
We're all dry with drinking on't,
The piper kiss'd the fiddler's wife,
And I can't sleep for thinking on't.
A FAMOUS SONG ABOUT
BETTY PRINGLE'S PIG.
Did you not hear of Betty Pringle's pig?
It was not very little, nor yet very big;
The pig sat down upon a dunghill,
And there poor piggy he made his will.
Betty Pringle came to see this pretty pig
That was not very little, nor yet very big;
This little piggy it lay down and dy'd,
And Betty Pringle sat down and cry'd.
Then Johnny Pringle bury'd this very pretty pig,
That was not very little, nor yet very big;
So here's an end of the song of all three,
Johnny Pringle, Betty Pringle, and the little Piggy.
THE NURSE'S SONG.
Bee baw babby lou,[C] on a tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the wind ceases the cradle will fall,
Down comes baby and cradle and all.
[C] A corruption of the French nurse's threat in the fable: He bas! la le loup! Hush! there's the wolf.
ANOTHER.
Bee baw bunting,
Daddy's gone a hunting,
To get a little lamb's skin,
To lap his little baby in.
ANOTHER.
Bye O my baby,
When I was a lady,
O then my poor baby didn't cry;
But my baby is weeping,
For want of good keeping,
Oh, I fear my poor baby will die.
PART II.
A MAN OF WORDS.
A man of words and not of deeds
Is like a garden full of weeds;
And when the weeds begin to grow,
It's like a garden full of snow;
And when the snow begins to fall,
It's like a bird upon the wall;
And when the bird away does fly,
It's like an eagle in the sky;
And when the sky begins to roar,
It's like a lion at the door;
And when the door begins to crack,
It's like a stick across your back;
And when your back begins to smart,
It's like a penknife in your heart;
And when your heart begins to bleed,
You're dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.
THE VALENTINE.
The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love, and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast, and then I drew,
And fortune said it should be you.
THREE BRETHREN OUT OF SPAIN.
We are three brethren out of Spain,
Come to court your daughter Jane.
My daughter Jane she is too young,
And has not learn'd her mother tongue.
Be she young, or be she old,
For her beauty she must be sold.
So fare you well, my lady gay,
We'll call again another day.
Turn back, turn back, thou scornful knight;
And rub thy spurs till they be bright.
Of my spurs take you no thought,
For in this town they were not bought.
So fare you well, my lady gay,
We'll call again another day.
Turn back, turn back, thou scornful knight,
And take the fairest in your sight.
The fairest maid that I can see,
Is pretty Nancy, come to me.
Here comes your daughter safe and sound,
Every pocket with a thousand pound;
Every finger with a gay gold ring;
Please to take your daughter in.
ROBIN AND RICHARD.
Robin and Richard
Were two pretty men,
They lay in bed
Till the clock struck ten;
Then up starts Robin,
And looks at the sky,
Oh! brother Richard,
The sun's very high.
You go before,
With your bottle and bag,
And I will come after,
On little Jack Nag.
ROBIN THE ROBIN.
Robin the Robin, the big-bellied hen,
He eat more than fourscore men:
He eat a cow, he eat a calf;
He eat a butcher and a half;
He eat a church, he eat the steeple,
He eat the priest and all the people.
BAH, BAH, BLACKSHEEP.
Bah, bah, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
One for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.
PATTY CAKE.
Patty cake, patty cake,
Baker's man;
That I will, master,
As fast as I can;
Prick it, and prick it,
And mark it with a T,
And there will be enough
For Jacky and me.
WHO'S THERE?
Who's there?
A grenadier.
What do you want?
A pot of beer.
Where's your money?
Quite forgot.
Get you gone,
You drunken sot.
CROSS PATCH.
Cross patch, draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin;
Take a cup, and drink it up,
Then call your neighbours in.
MISTRESS MARY.
Mistress Mary,
Quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle shells,
And silver bells,
And cowslips all arow.
THE OLD MAN AND HIS CALF.
There was an old man,
And he had a calf;
And that's half:
He took him out of the stall,
And put him on the wall;
And that's all.
JACK A NORY.
I'll tell you a story
About Jack a Nory;
And now my story's begun:
I'll tell you another
About Jack his brother
And now my story's done.
GREAT A.
Great A, little a,
Bouncing B;
The cat's in the cupboard,
And she can't see.
SEE SAW.
See Saw, Sacaradown,
Which is the way to London town?
One foot up, the other foot down,
That is the way to London town.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
I caught a hare alive;
6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
I let her go again.
Here stands a fist,
Who set it there?
A better man than you,
Touch him if you dare.
A little old man and I fell out,
How shall we bring this matter about?
Bring it about as well as you can,
Get you gone, you little old man!
Little boy, pretty boy, where was you born?
In Lincolnshire, master: come blow the cow's horn.
A halfpenny pudding, a penny pye,
A shoulder of mutton, and that love I.
The man in the moon
Came tumbling down,
And ask'd his way to Norwich.
He went by the south,
And burnt his mouth,
With supping hot pease porridge.
Four-and-twenty tailors
Went to kill a snail;
The best man among them
Durst not touch her tail:
She put out her horns
Like a little kyloe cow:
Run, tailors, run,
Or she'll kill you all e'en now.
Jack and Gill
Went up the hill,
To fetch a bottle of water;
Jack fell down,
And broke his crown,
And Gill came tumbling after.
O rare Harry Parry,
When will you marry?
When apples and pears are ripe.
I'll come to your wedding,
Without any bidding,
And lye with your bride all night.
See saw, Margery Daw,
Sold her old bed to lay on the straw;
Was not she a nasty slut
To sell her old bed to lay on the dirt.
There was an old woman, she liv'd in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn't know what to do;
She gave them some broth, without any bread,
She whipp'd all their bums, and sent them to bed.
Shoe the colt,
Shoe the colt,
Shoe the wild mare;
Here a nail,
There a nail,
Yet she goes bare.
Is John Smith within?
Yes, that he is.
Can he set on a shoe?
Ay, marry, two,
Here a nail, there a nail,
Tick, tack, too.
Ride a cock horse,
To Banbury cross,
To see what Tommy can buy;
A penny white loaf,
A penny white cake,
And a twopenny apple pye.
Ride a cock horse, to Banbury cross,
To see an old woman get up on her horse;
Rings on her fingers, and bells at her toes,
And so she makes music wherever she goes.
O that I was where I would be,
Then would I be where I am not;
But where I am I must be.
And where I would be I cannot.
I see the moon, and the moon sees me,
God bless the moon, and God bless me!
Cock a doodle doo,
My dame has lost her shoe;
My master has lost his fiddlestick,
And knows not what to do.
Round about, round about,
Maggotty pie,
My father loves good ale,
And so do I.
There was an old man in a velvet coat,
He kiss'd a maid and gave her a groat;
The groat was crack'd, and would not go;
Ah, old man, d'ye serve me so?
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating of Christmas pye;
He put in his thumb,
And pull'd out a plum,
And cry'd, What a good boy am I!
Little Tom Tucker,
Sings for his supper;
What shall he eat?
White bread and butter.
How shall he cut it
Without e'er a knife?
How will he be marry'd,
Without e'er a wife.
A diller, a doller,
A ten o'clock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You us'd to come at ten o'clock,
And now you come at noon.
I am a pretty wench,
And I come a great way hence,
And sweethearts I can get none:
But every dirty sow,
Can get sweethearts enow,
And I, pretty wench, can get never a one.
What care I how black I be,
Twenty pounds will marry me;
If twenty wont, forty shall,
I am my mother's bouncing girl.
Lady bird, lady bird,
Fly away home;
Your house is on fire,
Your children will burn.
John, come sell thy fiddle,
And buy thy wife a gown.
No, I'll not sell my fiddle,
For ne'er a wife in town.
Goose-a, goose-a, gander,
Where shall I wander?
Up stairs, down stairs,
In my lady's chamber;
There you'll find a cup of sack
And a race of ginger.
THE SPEECH OF THE HORSE THAT SPOKE TO HIS MASTER.
Up the hill take care of me,
Down the hill take care of thee,
Give me no water while I am hot,
On level ground spare me not.[D]
[D] N.B.—Don't you think he might as well have kept the last piece of advice to himself?
Sometimes the speech of the horse reminds his master of that which is better:
Up hill ride me not;
Down hill gallop me not;
On level ground spare me not;
And in the stable forget me not.
Before the cock-horse is mounted, we should learn to remember:
The rule of the road is a paradox quite,
And custom has prov'd it so long:
He that goes to the left is sure to go right,
And he that goes right must go wrong.
Come, let's to bed,
Says Sleepy-head;
Sit up awhile, says Slow;
Hang on the pot,
Says greedy-gut,
Let's sup before we go.
There was an old woman
Liv'd under a hill,
She put a mouse in a bag,
And sent it to mill:
The miller did swear,
By the point of his knife,
He never took toll
Of a mouse in his life.
There was an old woman,
And she sold puddings and pies,
She went to the mill,
And the dust flew into her eyes:
Hot pies and cold pies to sell!
Wherever she goes you may follow her by the smell.
To make your candles last for aye,
You wives and maids give ear O!
To put 'em out's the only way,
Says honest John Boldero.
I doubt, I doubt,
My fire is out,
My little dame an't at home;
Come, bridle my hog,
And saddle my dog,
And fetch my little dame home.
Hark, hark, the dogs do bark,
Beggars are coming to town;
Some in jags, and some in rags,
And some in velvet gowns.
When I was a batchelor,
I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I had
I laid upon a shelf;
The rats and the mice they made such a strife,
I was forc'd to go to London to buy me a wife;
The roads were so bad, and the lanes were so narrow,
I was forc'd to bring my wife home in a wheel-barrow:
The wheel-barrow broke, and my wife got a fall,
Deuce take the wheel-barrow, wife, and all.
Taffy was a Welchman,
Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house,
And stole a piece of beef:
I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy wasn't at home,
Taffy came to my house,
And stole a marrow-bone.
I had a little husband,
No bigger than my thumb,
I put him in a pint pot,
And there I bade him drum;
I bridled him and saddled him,
And sent him out of town;
I gave him a pair of garters
To garter up his hose,
And a little silk handkerchief,
To wipe his snotty nose.
Old father Greybeard,
Without tooth or tongue,
If you'll give me your finger,
I'll give you my thumb.
I will tell my own daddy when he comes home,
What little good work my mammy has done.
She has earnt a penny, spent a groat,
And burnt a hole in the child's new coat.
I had a little moppet,
I put it in my pocket,
And fed it with corn and hay;
There came a proud beggar,
And swore he would have her.
And stole my little moppet away.
Up hill and down dale;
Butter is made in every vale;
And if that Nancy Cock
Is a good girl,
She shall have a spouse,
And make butter anon,
Before her old grandmother
Grows a young man.
PART III.
THE MERRY BELLS OF LONDON.
Gay go up and gay go down,
To ring the bells of London Town.
Bull's eyes and targets,
Say the bells of St. Marg'ret's.
Brick-bats and tiles,
Say the bells of St. Giles.
Halfpence and farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells at St. Peter's.