Now you're married, you must obey,
You must be true to all you say,
You must be kind, you must be good,
_And make your husband chop the wood_.
What we have said of the permanency of the words applies only to the
action, the essential part, of the game. The _amatory chorus_, by which
the song is made to serve the purpose of love-making, is very variable.
Thus we have the quaint conclusion of the last line at greater length:
And now you're married in Hymen's band,
You must obey your wife's command;
You must obey your constant good,
And keep your wife in hickory wood--
Split the wood and carry it in, [_twice_]
And then she'll let you kiss her again.
"Splitting the wood" was a very troublesome part of the New England
farmer's ménage.
More commonplace are the choruses:
You must be good, you must be true,
And do as you see others do.