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Anyone know this rhyme: See Saw, Mardi gras . . .

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Durbis O'malley

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Dec 16, 2002, 6:10:01 PM12/16/02
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Anyone know this rhyme?
My wife used to sing it to the kids when she rocked them,
but she can't remember all the words now.

It starts:


See Saw, Mardi gras,

. . . ?


Thanks to anyone that can remember all of this .

Marion Baumgarten

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Dec 16, 2002, 7:42:49 PM12/16/02
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See Saw Margery Daw
Jack shall have a new master
He shall have but a penny a duy,
because he can't work any faster.

Penny Gaines

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Dec 17, 2002, 8:20:26 AM12/17/02
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Marion Baumgarten wrote:

> Durbis O'malley <dur...@ungibungi.com> wrote:
>
>> Anyone know this rhyme?
>> My wife used to sing it to the kids when she rocked them,
>> but she can't remember all the words now.
>>
>> It starts:
>>
>> See Saw, Mardi gras,

[snip]


> See Saw Margery Daw
> Jack shall have a new master
> He shall have but a penny a duy,
> because he can't work any faster.

I know the second line as

"Johnie shall have a new master"

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

MarjiG

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Dec 17, 2002, 3:26:55 PM12/17/02
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In article <ap4nta...@gaines.plus.com>, Penny Gaines
<pe...@gaines.plus.com> writes:

>
>I know the second line as
>
>"Johnie shall have a new master"
>

My book* lists 3 versions (I know why the first is the one we remember).

Page 56:
See-saw, Margery Daw,
Jenny shall have a new master:
She shall have but a penny a day,
Because she can't work any faster.

Page 119:
See, saw, Margery Daw,
The old hen flew over the malt-house;
She counted her chickens one by one,
Still she missed the little white one,
And this is it, this is it, this is it.

Page 287:
See, saw, Margery Daw
Sold her bed and lay upon straw;
Was not she a dirty slut,
To sell her bed and lie in the dirt!

*Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes Complete Edition (A.L. Burt Company, undated, but
it is a 380 page hardcover that sold originally for $1.25)


-Marjorie

Lee

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Dec 17, 2002, 5:05:41 PM12/17/02
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This seems to be an example of a rhyme that was passed down
orally, but that's rarely been considered significant enough
to be included in a book, and so it's not well standardized.

I also remember it as "Johnny".

I find several variations, most with the spelling "Marjorie"
or "Marjory".
The second line usually begins with Johnny or Johnie or Jonny,
but Jack and Jenny each appear at least once.
In some cases, he shall "earn", rather than "have".

Durbis O'malley

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Dec 21, 2002, 3:48:56 PM12/21/02
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Thanks to all who responded!
It is interesting how things morph from one saying to another,
i.e. "Mardi Gras" turned into "Margery Daw".

Thanks again to all.

Durbis

After intense interrogation under a bright light Lee wrote in
misc.kids.moderated:

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