October 28. Story of the Day: Keys of Canterbury,

This version of the song comes from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

It is classified as Roud 573: Keys of Canterbury.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE KEYS OF CANTERBURY


(Tin Whistle Duet)

Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of Canterbury,
To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.

Sir, I'll not accept of the keys of Canterbury,
To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry;
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!

Oh, madam, I will give you a fine carved comb,
To comb out your ringlets when I am from home,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.

Sir, I'll not accept a fine carved comb,
To comb out my ringlets when you are from home,
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!

Oh, madam, I will give you a pair of shoes of cork,
One made in London, the other made in York,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.

Sir, I'll not accept a pair of shoes of cork,
One made in London, the other made in York,
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!

Madam, I will give you a sweet silver bell,
To ring up your maidens when you are not well,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.

Sir, I'll not accept a sweet silver bell,
To ring up my maidens when I am not well,
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!

Oh, my man John, what can the matter be?
I love the lady and the lady loves not me!
Neither will she walk abroad with me,
Neither will she talk with me.

Oh, master dear, do not despair,
The lady she shall be, shall be your only dear;
And she will walk and talk with thee,
And she will walk with thee!

Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of my chest,
To count my gold and silver when I am gone to rest,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but talk with me.

Oh, sir, I will accept of the keys of your chest,
To count your gold and silver when you are gone to rest,
And I will walk abroad with thee,
And I will talk with thee!

September 27. Story of the Day: The house that Jack built.

Here is the version from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is ATU 2035. The House that Jack Built. See also Roud 20584.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cow with the crumpled horn,
That toss'd the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
[251]That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kiss'd the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crow'd in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kiss'd the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing his corn,
That kept the cock that crow'd in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tatter'd and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That kill'd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

(illustration by R. Caldecott)

August 29. Story of the Day: St. Ives

This is a fun little riddle/rhyme from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang. You can find out more at Wikipedia.

The rhyme is classified as Roud 19772.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

AS I WAS GOING TO ST. IVES

As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives;
Every wife had seven sacks,
Every sack had seven cats,
Every cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives.
How many were there going to St. Ives?

(Heart of Oak Books)

August 26. Story of the Day: A was an apple-pie.

This alphabet series is from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is Roud 7539. There is a famous illustrated version by Kate Greenaway; I made an animated gif to go with it.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

A was an apple-pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D dealt it;
E ate it;
F fought for it;
G got it;
H had it;
J joined it;
K kept it;
L longed for it;
M mourned for it;
N nodded at it;
O opened it;
P peeped in it;
Q quartered it;
R ran for it;
S stole it;
T took it;
V viewed it,
W wanted it;
X, Y, Z, and amperse-and,
All wish'd for a piece in hand.

August 24. Story of the Day: For Want of a Nail

This tiny chain tale, famous as a proverb comes from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is ATU 2039. Horseshoe Nail.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

FOR WANT OF A NAIL

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;
And all from the want of a horseshoe nail.

(pxhere)

Lang. Monday's Bairn

This rhyme comes from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang. Lang's version has the Scottish "bairn" instead of the usual "child."

The classification is ATU 2012 Days of the Week.

MONDAY'S BAIRN

Monday's bairn is fair of face,
Tuesday's bairn is full of grace,
Wednesday's bairn is full of woe,
Thursday's bairn has far to go,
Friday's bairn is loving and giving,
Saturday's bairn works hard for its living,
But the bairn that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.


For variations, see Northall's English Folk-Rhymes.

Born of a Monday, fair in face;
Born of a Tuesday, full of God's grace;
Born of a Wednesday, merry and glad;
Born of a Thursday, sour and sad;
Born of a Friday, godly given;
Born of a Saturday, work for your living;
Born of a Sunday, never shall we want;
So there ends the week, and there's an end on't!

Born on Monday, fair in the face;
Born on Tuesday, full of God's grace;
Born on Wednesday, sour and sad;
Born on Thursday, merry and glad;
Born on Friday, worthily given;
Born on Saturday, work hard for your living;
Born on Sunday, you will never know want.

Sunday's child is full of grace,
Monday's child is full in the face,
Tuesday's child is solemn and sad,
Wednesday's child is merry and glad,
Thursday's child is inclined to thieving,
Friday's child is free in giving,
And Saturday's child works hard for his living.

(St. Nicholas magazine, 1873)

May 21. Story of the Day: A was an Archer

Today's story is an "alphabet rhyme" from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

Like most nursery rhymes, there is no TMI number, but there is a Roud number: Roud 20563.

This time, the chain structure is provided by the letters of the alphabet. For more alphabet-inspired poetry, see Wikipedia: Abcedarius.

Some vocabulary preparation: to "bouse" is to booze, to drink too much, and "flip" is also a drinking term, a liquor composed of beer, rum, and sugar.

Want more? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

A was an Archer

A was an Archer, and shot at a frog,
B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.

C was a Captain, all covered with lace,
D was a Drunkard, and had a red face.

E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow,
F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.

G was a Gamester, who had but ill luck,
H was a Hunter, and hunted a buck.

I was an Innkeeper, who loved to bouse,
J was a Joiner, and built up a house.

K was King William, once governed this land,
L was a Lady, who had a white hand.

M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,
N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.

O was an Oyster Wench, and went about town,
P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.

Q was a Queen, who was fond of good flip,
R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.

S was a Sailor, and spent all he got,
T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.

U was an Usurer, a miserable elf,
V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.

W was a Watchman, and guarded the door,
X was expensive, and so became poor.

Y was a Youth, that did not love school,
Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.

May 18. Story of the Day: My father he died

Today's story comes from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, and you can also find it in all the standard nursery rhyme collections.

As a folktale type, this is ATU 1415 Trading Away One's Fortune. The folksong is classified as Roud 469. The Swapping Song (the popular American version of that song has different lyrics; I'll share those in another post).

For music, see Edward F. Rimbault's Nursery rhymes with the tunes to which they are still sung (1861), where he uses this title: The Search After Fortune. See the bottom of the page for the tune, plus another piece of sheet music which I found online.

Different versions give different refrains; in Wright's Specimens of Lyric Poetry (1841; online), for example, there is a version which goes: "With a wimmy lo! wommy lo! Jack Straw blazey boys! Wimmy lo! wommy lo! wob, wob, wob!" Here's a version which includes a pig and a hen in the chain:

Want more? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

(illustrator unknown)

My father he died, but I can't tell you how;
He left me six horses to drive in my plough:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my six horses and I bought me a cow,
I'd fain have made a fortune but did not know how:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my cow, and I bought me a calf;
I'd fain have made a fortune, but lost the best half!
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my calf, and I bought me a cat;
A pretty thing she was, in my chimney corner sat:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my cat, and bought me a mouse;
He carried fire in his tail, and burnt down my house:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

(illustration by Clara Atwood)

A different presentation of the music; author unknown:

CHAIN: horses - cow - calf - cat - mouse

Lang. If all the seas were one sea

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

This is Roud 19775.

IF ALL THE SEAS

If all the seas were one sea,
What a great sea that would be!
And if all the trees were one tree,
What a great tree that would be!
And if all the axes were one axe,
What a great axe that would be!
And if all the men were one man,
What a great man he would be!
And if the great man took the great axe,
And cut down the great tree,
And let it fall into the great sea,
What a splish splash that would be!

(Etsy)

Lang. The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

This is unclassified (so far). See the Internet Archive for an illustrated edition:

THE BUTTERFLY'S BALL AND
THE GRASSHOPPER'S FEAST

Come, take up your hats, and away let us haste
To the Butterfly's ball, and the Grasshopper's feast;
The trumpeter, Gad-fly, has summoned the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you.
On the smooth-shaven grass, by the side of a wood,
Beneath a broad oak which for ages had stood,
See the children of earth, and the tenants of air,
To an evening's amusement together repair.
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
And there came the Gnat and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their relations, green, orange, and blue.
And there came the Moth, with her plumage of down,
And the Hornet with jacket of yellow and brown;
And with him the Wasp, his companion, did bring;
But they promised that evening to lay by their sting.
Then the sly little Dormouse peeped out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind cousin the Mole;
And the Snail, with her horns peeping out of her shell,
Came, fatigued with the distance, the length of an ell.
A mushroom the table, and on it was spread
A water-dock leaf, which their table-cloth made.
The viands were various, to each of their taste,
And the Bee brought the honey to sweeten the feast.
With steps most majestic the Snail did advance,
And he promised the gazers a minuet to dance;
But they all laughed so loud that he drew in his head,
And went in his own little chamber to bed.
Then, as evening gave way to the shadows of night,
Their watchman, the Glow-worm, come out with his light.
So home let us hasten, while yet we can see,
For no watchman is waiting for you or for me.

Lang. Cuckoo, Cuckoo

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

This is Roud 19967.

CUCKOO, CUCKOO

Cuckoo, Cuckoo,
What do you do?
"In April
I open my bill;
In May
I sing night and day;
In June
I change my tune;
In July
Away I fly;
In August
Away I must."

(common cuckoo)

Lang. Oranges and Lemons

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke. There is a chapter devoted to this rhyming game in Gomme's Traditional Games.

This is Roud 13190.

ORANGES AND LEMONS

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.

Brickbats 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 of St. Peter's.

Two sticks and an apple,
Say the bells at Whitechapel.

Old Father Baldpate,
Say the slow bells at Aldgate.

You owe me ten shillings,
Say the bells at St. Helen's.

Pokers and tongs,
Say the bells at St. John's.

Kettles and pans,
Say the bells at St. Ann's.

When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,
Say the bells at Shoreditch.

Pray when will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.

I am sure I don't know,
Says the great bell at Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.


NOTES

At the conclusion, the captive is privately asked if he will have oranges or lemons (the two leaders of the arch having previously agreed which designation shall belong to each), and he goes behind the one he may chance to name. When all are thus divided into two parties, they conclude the game by trying to pull each other beyond a certain line.

~ ~ ~

Here is another version from Gammer Gurton's Garland of 1783 given by Northall in English Folk-Rhymes. See additional variations in Northall.

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.

Brickbats 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.

Two sticks and an apple
Say the bells of Whitechapel.

Old Father Baldpate
Say the slow bells at Aldgate.

You owe me ten shillings
Say the bells at St. Helens.

When will you pay me
Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I shall grow rich
Say the bells of Shoreditch.

Pray when will that be
Say the bells of Stepney.

I am sure I don't know,
Says the great bell at Bow.

Lang. Three jovial Welshmen

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

This is Roud 283.

 It is not really a classic type of chain tale, but as an example of folkloric repetition, I thought it was a very elegant formula!

THREE JOVIAL WELSHMEN

There were three jovial Welshmen,
As I have heard them say,
And they would go a-hunting
Upon St. David's day.

All the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing with the wind.
   One said it was a ship;
   The other he said nay;
   The third said it was a house,
   With the chimney blown away.

And all the night they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But the moon a-gliding,
A-gliding with the wind.
   One said it was the moon;
   The other he said nay;
   The third said it was a cheese,
   And half o't cut away.

And all the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a hedgehog in a bramble-bush,
And that they left behind.
   The first said it was a hedgehog;
   The second he said nay;
   The third it was a pin-cushion,
   And the pins stuck in wrong way.

And all the night they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a hare in a turnip field,
And that they left behind.
   The first said it was a hare;
   The second he said nay;
   The third said it was a calf,
   And the cow had run away.

And all the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But an owl in a holly-tree,
And that they left behind.
   One said it was an owl;
   The other he said nay;
   The third said 'twas an old man,
   And his beard growing grey.

Lang. I love sixpence

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

This is Roud 1116.

I LOVE SIXPENCE

(sixpence)

I love sixpence, pretty little sixpence,
I love sixpence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And took fourpence home to my wife.

Oh, my little fourpence, pretty little fourpence,
I love fourpence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And I took twopence home to my wife.

Oh, my little twopence, my pretty little twopence,
I love twopence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And I took nothing home to my wife.

Oh, my little nothing, my pretty little nothing,
What will nothing buy for my wife?
I have nothing, I spend nothing,
I love nothing better than my wife.

Lang. London Bridge is broken down

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is Roud 502.

LONDON BRIDGE IS BROKEN DOWN

(Walter Crane)

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.

Build it up with silver and gold,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Build it up with silver and gold,
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.

Lang. The Key of the Kingdom

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is Roud 19803.

Lang ends with etceteras ("Flowers in the basket, basket in the bed, bed in the room, &c. &c."), but I brought it around full circle.

THE KEY OF THE KINGDOM

This is the key of the kingdom.
In that kingdom there is a city.
In that city there is a town.
In that town there is a street.
In that street there is a lane.
In that lane there is a yard.
In that yard there is a house.
In that house there is a room.
In that room there is a bed.
On that bed there is a basket.
In that basket there are some flowers.

(flower basket)

Flowers there are in the basket.
Basket there is on the bed.
Bed there is in the room
Room there is in the house.
House there is in the yard.
Yard there is in the lane.
Lane there is in the street.
Street there is in the town.
Town there is in the city.
City there is in the kingdom.
This is the key of the kingdom.

Lang. There was a man and he was mad

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is Roud 5336.

THERE WAS A MAN AND HE WAS MAD

There was a man and he was mad,
And he jump'd into a pea-swad;

(pea-pod/ pea-swad)

The pea-swad was over-full,
So he jump'd into a roaring bull;

The roaring bull was over-fat,
So he jump'd into a gentleman's hat;

The gentleman's hat was over-fine,
So he jump'd into a bottle of wine;

The bottle of wine was over-dear,
So he jump'd into a bottle of beer;

The bottle of beer was over-thick,
So he jump'd into a club-stick;

The club-stick was over-narrow,
So he jump'd into a wheel-barrow;

The wheel-barrow began to crack,
So he jump'd on to a hay-stack;

The hay-stack began to blaze,
So he did nothing but cough and sneeze!


NOTES

swad. The pod or shell of a pea.

Lang. A man of words.

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke.

This is Roud 19103: A Man of Words.

A MAN OF WORDS


(Go Proverbs)

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.

Lang. Robin the Bobbin

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is Roud 19697.

ROBIN THE BOBBIN

Robin the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben,
He ate more meat than fourscore men;
He ate a cow, he ate a calf,
He ate a butcher and a half;
He ate a church, he ate a steeple,
He ate the priest and all the people!
A cow and a calf,
An ox and a half,
A church and a steeple,
And all the good people,
And yet he complained that his stomach wasn't full.

(Big Book of Nursery Rhymes)

Lang. One Two Buckle My Shoe.

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is Roud 112946: One Two Buckle My Shoe.

ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE

One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Shut the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A good fat hen;

Eleven, twelve,
Who will delve?
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids a-kissing;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maid a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My stomach's empty.

(Journeys through Bookland)

Note that the illustration has a different rhyme at the end: "Nineteen, twenty, that's a-plenty."