A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes/Nursery Songs/XXXIV. THREE CHILDREN SLIDING
Three children sliding on the ice
Upon a summer's day,
As it fell out they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.
A lord there was who with the king
A mighty wager makes,
But when he saw he could not win,
He would have drawn the stakes.
He said 'twould bear a man to slide,
And laid a hundred pound;
The king said 'twould break and not abide,
Where children three were drowned.
Of which one's head was from his shoulders
stuck, whose name was John;
Who then cried out, as loud as he could,
'Oh lon-a-lon-a-don!'
Thus being drowned, alack! alack!
Water ran down their throats,
And stopped their breath, three hours by th' clock,
Ere they could get the boats.
Now had these children been at home,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny
They had not all been drowned.
Ye parents all, that children have,
And ye that eke have none,
If you would keep them from the grave,
Pray make them stay at home.