XVII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!_The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2) With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.

We are all playmates, we shall all die!

Excepting ----, for she's the youngest flower,

Cry shame, cry shame,

And turn your face to the wall again.

--Sheffield (S. O. Addy).

XVIII. Wall-flower, wall-flower, growing up so high!

All the pretty maidens shall not die!

Excepting ----, she is the youngest child,

Oh! for shame, fie, for shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

--Dean, near Salisbury (Mrs. C. Brough).

XIX. Water, water wall-flower, growing up so high,

We are all maidens, we must all die,

Except ----, the youngest of us all.

She can laugh, and she can dance, and she can play at ball;

Fie! fie! fie for shame! turn your face to the wall again.

--Connell Ferry, near Oban (Miss Harrison).

XX. Water, water wall-flower, growing up so high,

We are all maidens, we must all die.

Except ----, she's the youngest of them all;

She can dance, she can sing,

And she can dance the wedding ring (or "Hieland fling")

Fie! fie! fie for shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

--Galloway (J. G. Carter).

XXI. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers,

Growing up so high;

All ye young maidens

Are all fit to die.

Excepting ----, and she's the worst of all,

She can hop, and she can skip,

And she can turn the candlestick.

Fye! fie! for shame,

Turn your face to the wall again.

--(_Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 67.)

XXII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high,

All you young ladies will soon have to die;

Excepting ----, and she's the best of all.

She can dance, she can skip, she can turn the mangle quick;

Hi, ho! fie for shame! turn your back to the wall again.

--Cambridge (Mrs. Haddon).

XXIII. Wally, wally wall-flower, growing up so high,

We are all maidens, and we shall die;

All except the youngest one, and that is [child's name].

Choose for the best, choose for the worst,

Choose the one that you love best.

Now you're married, I wish you joy,

First a girl and then a boy,

Seven years after son and daughter,

Now, young couple, kiss together.

--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 84).

XXIV. Wally, wally wall-flowers,

Growing up so high;

We're all ladies,

We shall all die.

Excepting little ----,

She's the only one;

She can hop, she can skip,

She can play the herald,

Fie! fie! fie for shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).

XXV. Water, water wall-flower,

Growing up so high;

We are all maidens,

And we must all die.

---- is the youngest,

She must kick,

And she must fling,

And she must turn the sofa;

Fie! fie! fie, for shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

XXVI. Except ----, and she's the youngest one,

She can hop, and she can skip,

She can turn the sofa;

Oh fie! fie! fie, for shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

--Cullen and Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).

XXVII. She can skip, she can dance,

She can ding us all o'er.

--Aberdeen (Rev. W. Gregor).

XXVIII. Green, green grovers, growing up so high,

We are all maidens,

And we must all die;

Except ----, the youngest of us all,

She can dance, and she can sing,

She can dance the Hieland fling;

Fie! fie! fie, for shame!

Turn your back to us again.

--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).

XXIX. Water, water, well stones,

Growing up so high,

We are all maidens,

And we must all die.

Except ----,

She's the youngest of us all,

She can dance, she can sing,

She can dance the "Hielan' Fling,"[14]

Oh fie, fie, for shame,

Turn your back to us again.

--Dyke (Rev. W. Gregor).

XXX. Here's a pot of wall-flowers,

Growing up so high;

We're all maidens, and we shall die.

Excepting [girl's name],

She can hop, and she can skip,

And she can play the organ.

Turn your back, you saucy Jack,

You tore your mother's gown.

--Northants (Rev. W. Sweeting).

XXXI. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growin' up so high,

Neither me nor my baby shall ever wish to die,

Especially [girl's name], she's the prettiest flower.

She can dance, and she can sing, and she can tell the hour,

With her wee-waw, wy-waw, turn her face to the wall.

--Howth, Dublin (Miss H. E. Harvey).

Or,

Turn your back to all the game.

--Bonmahon, Waterford (Miss H. E. Harvey).

XXXII. Sally, Sally, wall-flower [or Waters],

Springing up so high,

We're all fair maids,

And we shall all die.

Excepting [girl's name],

She's the fairest daughter,

She can hop, and she can skip,

She can turn the organ.

Turn your face toward the wall,

And tell me who your sweetheart's called.

Mr. Moffit is a very good man,

He came to the door with his hat in his hand,

He pulled up his cloak, and showed me the ring;

To-morrow, to-morrow, the wedding begins.

First he bought the frying-pan,

Then he bought the cradle,

And then one day the baby was born,

Rock, rock the cradle.

--Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss Chase).

XXXIII. Water, water, wild flowers,

Growing up so high,

We are all maidens,

And we shall all die,

Excepting [Eva Irving],

And she's the youngest of us all,

And she can hop, and she can skip,

And she can turn the candlestick,

[Or "She can play the organ."]

Piper shame! piper shame!

Turn your back to the wall again.

I pick up a pin,

I knock at the door,

I ask for ----,

She's neither in,

She's neither out,

She's up the garden skipping about.

Down come ----, as white as snow,

Soft in her bosom as soft as glow.

She pulled off her glove,

And showed us her ring,

To-morrow, to-morrow,

The bells shall ring.

--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).

XXXIV. Water, water, wall-flowers, growing up so high,

We are all maidens, and we must all die,

Except ----, she's the only one,

She can dance, she can sing, she can play the organ,

Fie, fie, fie for shame, turn your face to the wall again.

Green grevel, green grevel, the grass is so green,

The fairest young lady that ever was seen.

O ----, O ----, your true love is dead,

He'll send you a letter to turn back your head.

--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).

XXXV. [Mary Kelly's] stole away, stole away, stole away,

[Mary Kelly's] stole away,

And lost her lily-white flowers.

It's well seen by her pale face, her pale face, her pale

face,

It's well seen by her pale face,

She may turn her face to the wall.

--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).

(_c_) The children form a ring by joining hands. They all dance slowly

round, singing the words. When the one child is named by the ring she

turns round, so that her face is turned to the outside of the ring and

her back inside. She still clasps hands with those on either side of

her, and dances or walks round with them. This is continued until all

the players have turned and are facing outwards.

This concludes the game in many places, but in others the game is

continued by altering the last line of the verses, and the children

alternately turning round when named until they all face inside again.

In some of the versions the first child to turn her face to the wall is

the youngest, and it is then continued by the next youngest, until the

eldest is named. This obtains in Hampshire (Miss Mendham), Nottingham,

Symondsbury, Shropshire, Beddgelert, Sheffield, Connell Ferry, Oban,

Hersham, Surrey, Dyke. In the London (Miss Chase) and Sheffield versions

the child named leaves the ring and turns with her face to a wall. In

the Wakefield version Miss Fowler says a child stands in the middle, and

at the fifth line all the children say their own name. At the end of the

verse they all unclasp hands, and turn with their faces outside the

circle; the verse is repeated, when they all turn again facing inwards,

and so on over again. In the Nairn version, after all the players have

turned their faces outside the ring, they all throw their arms over

their heads, and turn so as to face inwards if possible without

disjoining hands. The children at Ogbourne, Wilts, clap hands when

singing the last two lines of the verses. At Enbourne School it is the

tallest child who is first named, and who turns her back; presumably the

next tallest is then chosen. In the Suffolk game one child stands

outside the ring; the ring sings the first four lines, and the child

outside sings the rest. At Wenlock Miss Burne says each child is

summoned in turn by name to turn their heads when the last line is said.

At Hurstmonceux a girl chooses a boy after her face is turned to the

wall.

(_d_) The most interesting point about this game is that it appears to

refer to a custom or observance which particularly concerns young girls.

We cannot say what the custom or observance was originally, but the

words point to something in which a young maiden played the principal

part. "We are all maidens" and "she's the youngest here" runs through

most of the versions. A death seems to be indicated, and it may be that

this game was originally one where the death of the betrothed of the

youngest maiden was announced. This would account for the "turning the

face to the wall," which is indicative of mourning and great sorrow and

loss. The mention of the girl's accomplishments may mean that being so

young and accomplished she would quickly get another suitor, and this

might also account for the "fie for shame!"--shame to be thinking of

another lover so soon; or, on the other hand, the other maidens may

regret that by the loss of her lover and betrothed this young maiden's

talents will be lost in "old maidenhood," as she will not now be

married, and this will be "a shame." She will be, in fact, "on the

shelf" or "out of sight" for the rest of her life, and through no fault

of her own. The "we are all maidens" might refer to the old custom of

maidens carrying the corpse of one of their number to the grave, and the

words may have originally been the lament over her death.

With reference to the words "turn the candlestick," which occurs in six

versions, "M. H. P.," in _Notes and Queries_ (7th ser., xi. 256), says:

"_Turning the Candlestick_.--A candlestick in the game of 'See-saw' is

the Yorkshire name for the child who stands in the centre of the plank,

and assists the motion by swaying from side to side." Toone

(_Etymological Dictionary_) says--Before the introduction of the modern

candlestick, the custom was to have the candle held by a person

appointed for that purpose, called a candle-holder, and hence the term

became proverbial to signify an idle spectator.

"I'll be a candle-holder and look on."--_Romeo and Juliet._

"A candle-holder sees most of the game."--Ray's _Proverbs_.

If this should be the meaning of the phrase in these rhymes, "she can

turn the candlestick" may have originally meant that now this maiden

can be nothing but a "looker on" or "candle-holder" in the world. The

meaning has evidently been forgotten for a long time, as other

expressions, such as "she can turn the organ," have had to be adopted to

"make sense" of the words.

Aubrey (_Remaines of Judaisme_, p. 45) mentions the sport called

"Dancing the Candlerush," played by young girls; in Oxford called "Leap

Candle," which consisted of placing a candle in the middle of the room

and "dancing over the candle back and forth" saying a rhyme. This may be

the "dance" referred to in the rhymes.

The tune of most versions is the same. It is pretty and plaintive, and

accords with the idea of mourning and grief. The Rev. W. D. Sweeting

says the tune in Northants seems to be lost. The game is sung to a sort

of monotone.

Northall gives a version from Warwickshire similar to several given

here, and Mr. Newell (_Games and Songs of American Children_) gives a

version and tune which is similar to that of Hurstmonceux, Surrey.

See "Green Grass."

[13] At Wenlock they add to the chorus:

O _Alice_! your true love will send you a letter to turn round

your head!

And she can turn the handlestick.

[14] Another version from Forfarshire gives "Green, green, grivers,"

and "Pull the cradle string" for "Dance the Hielan' Fling," and

one from Nairn is "Turn your back to the wall again."

Warney

I'm the wee mouse in the hole in the wa',

I'm come out to catch you a'.

One of the players starts with clasped hands to catch another. When this

is done they join hands--each one, on being caught, going into the

number to form a chain. If the chain breaks no one can be

caught.--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).

See "Stag," "Whiddy."

Way-Zaltin

A sort of horse-game, in which two boys stand back to back with their

arms interlaced; each then alternately bends forward, and so raises the

other on his back with his legs in the air. This term, too, is sometimes

used for see-sawing.--Elworthy's _West Somerset Words_. Barnes (_Dorset

Glossary_) calls this game "Wayzalt." Holloway (_Dict. Prov._) says, in

Hants the game is called "Weighing."

See "Weigh the Butter."

We are the Rovers

[Music]

--Bath (A. B. Gomme).

[Music]

--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).

[Music]

--Wrotham, Kent (Miss D. Kimball).

I. We are coming to take your land,

We are the rovers!

We are coming to take your land,

[Though you] are the guardian soldiers!

We don't care for your men nor you,

[Though you] are the rovers!

We don't care for your men nor you,

For we are the guardian soldiers!

We will send our dogs to bite,

We are the rovers!

We will send our dogs to bite,

Though you are the guardian soldiers!

We don't care for your dogs nor you,

Though you're the rovers!

We don't care for your dogs nor you,

For we are the guardian soldiers!

Will you have a glass of wine?

We are the rovers!

Will you have a glass of wine?

For respect of guardian soldiers!

A glass of wine won't serve us all,

Though you're the rovers!

A glass of wine won't serve us all,

For we are the guardian soldiers!

Will a barrel of beer then serve you all?

We are the rovers!

Will a barrel of beer then serve you all?

As you are the guardian soldiers!

A barrel of beer won't serve us all,

Though you're the rovers!

A barrel of beer won't serve us all,

For we're gallant guardian soldiers!

We will send our blue-coat men,

We are the rovers!

We will send our blue-coat men,

Though you are the guardian soldiers!

We don't fear your blue-coat men,

Though you're the rovers!

We don't fear your blue-coat men,

For we are the guardian soldiers!

We will send our red-coat men,

We are the rovers!

We will send our red-coat men,

Though you are the guardian soldiers!

We don't mind your red-coat men,

Though you're the rovers!

We don't mind your red-coat men,

For we are the guardian soldiers!

Are you ready for a fight?

We are the rovers!

Are you ready for a fight?

Though you are the guardian soldiers!

Yes, we are ready for a fight,

Though you're the rovers!

Yes, we are ready for a fight,

For we are the guardian soldiers!

--Ellesmere (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 518).

II. We have come for a glass of wine,

We are the Romans!

We have come for a glass of wine,