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"The Mulberry Bush," which
goes to the same air as ''Merry-ma-Tanzie,'' and is in some places
called :The Mulberry Tree," and in others "The Gooseberry Bush," is yet
more of an action game. The arrangement is again in a ring, and, moving
round hand-in-hand, all sing:—
Here we go round the
mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush,
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
On a cold and frosty morning.
Stopping short with a
curtsey at the conclusion and disjoining hands, they stand, and
imitating the process of hand-washing, they sing:--
This is the way we wash
our hands,
Wash our hands, wash our hands,
This is the way we wash our hands,
On a cold and frosty morning.
All joining hands again.
they go round as before, singing—"Here we go round the mulberry bush,"
and so on, which is repeated regularly after each action-verse on to the
end. The opening lines of the action-verses alone may be given here to
suggest the whole. They are:--
"This is the way we lace
our stays.''
"This is the way we comb our hair."
"This is the way we walk to school."
"This is the way we return from school."
"This is the way the ladies walk."
"This is the way the gentlemen walk." |
