A few months ago, I posted about popular children’s rhymes, chanted in Blantyre playgrounds by boys and girls. Today, I’m exploring some more, perhaps a little more obscure. These were innocent times, kids spending time playing outside and making up their own games. Interested if anybody has heard of these:
I’ve a Laddie in America
I’ve a laddie in America,
I’ve a laddie in Dundee, in Dundee
I’ve ainither up in Duke Street,
He’s the one that ruined me, ruined me
First he took me tae the dancing,
Then he took me tae a spree, tae a spree,
Then he ran away and left me,
Wae a wean on ma knee, on ma knee,
Here’s the wee wean cryin dada,
Here’s the wee wean cryin da da da,
Here’s the wee wean cryin dada
Here’s the wan that ruined me, ruined me.
Who’ll Come in Tae Ma Wee Ring
Who’ll come in tae ma wee ring,
Tae ma wee ring, tae ma wee ring,
Who’ll come in tae ma wee ring,
Tae make it a wee bit bigger.
I’ll come in tae your wee ring,
Tae your wee ring, tae your wee ring,
I’ll come in tae your wee ring,
And make it a wee bit bigger.
Water, Water Wallflower
Water, water, wallflower, growing up so high,
We are all maidens and we must all die,
Except (girls name) the youngest of us all.
She can dance and she can sing,
And she can do the Highland Fling,
Fie, Fie, Fie for shame,
Turn yer back tae the wall again.
One Potato
One potato, two potato, three potato four,
Five potato, six potato, seven potato more.
Ma Wee Lad
Ma wee lads a sodjer,
He works in Maryhill,
He gets his pay on a Friday night,
and buys hauf a gil,
He goes tae church on Sunday,
A hauf an hoor late,
He picks the buttons aff his shirt
An pits them in the plate.
Dan Dan
Dan, Dan, the funny wee man,
Washed his face in the frying pan,
Combed his hair with the leg ‘o the chair,
Dan, Dan the funny wee man.
Pictured in 1903, are two children playing outside Shuttle Row at the Village.
My mom,was,born in Blantyre, I was born and
raised in New York City. We sang One Potato Two Potato. The kids would stand in a circle and extend their right fist into the middle of the circle. The leader would hit their fist one by one with his fist until number eight(number more). That person would be eliminated. Then the leader would repeat the count with the remaining kids. He would do this until the “last man standing”. That last man standing would be the winner.