Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 16, 1905.djvu/116

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94 Collectanea.

Mary steps forward, the ring stops and she chooses one to represent her lover ; joining hands the two whirl about singing — '* He has come back again, back again, back again. He has come back again to his own dear Mary."

Mary joins the ring and the chosen lover becomes " Mary."

Jingo Ring.

They have a variant from that described above in Lorn. The players stand in a row with one walking up and down in front, singing,—

" As I went walking down the street A German lady I did meet With a pair of slippers on her feet And a baby in her arms."

She then chooses one from the row and, arm in arm, they march up and down in front of it, singing, —

"Jingo-ring fal lal la, (repeated three times) And a baby in her arms."

The first then joins the row and the other carries on the game.

The same game is played with a variant of the verse given on p. 85, each one chosen merely taking the chooser's place and repeating the verse —

"Sweet Mary, sweet Mary, my age is sixteen, My father's a farmer in sweet Aberdeen, He has plenty of money to dress me in green, But there's no bonnie laddie will tak me awa."

(P. 58, after Une 27.)

In Uist, instead of the words "babbity, busty barley" on p. 57, they say "a Mhiss, a Mhiss, a bharley."

Before the line commencing with the words " I wadna kiss a lassie O," the following are often introduced —

" Choose ye wha we'll tak, wha ye'll tak, vvha ye'U tak, Choose ye wha ye'll tak, a laddie or a lassie O."

(P. 66, after line 18.)

The bulk of the players standing in a ring or a row, with one