Nuts in May (rhyme)

For the play, see Nuts in May.
"Nuts in May"
Roud #6308
Song
Written England
Published 1894-8
Form Nursery rhyme
Writer(s) Traditional
Language English

"Nuts in May" is a nursery rhyme often sung as a game with the aim of pairing a boy and girl from within the singers. It has a Roud index number of 6308.

Lyrics

Replace "[name]" by a boy's and a girl's name from within the group singing and select between him/her according to the gender of the first selected person. Some versions replace the phrase "On a cold and frosty morning," with "so early in the morning"

Here we go gathering nuts in May,
Nuts in May, nuts in May,
Here we go gathering nuts in May,
On a cold and frosty morning.
Who will you have for nuts in May,
Nuts in May, nuts in May,
Who will you have for nuts in May,
On a cold and frosty morning.
We'll have [name] for nuts in May,
Nuts in May, nuts in May,
We'll have [name] for nuts in May,
On a cold and frosty morning.
Who will you send to fetch him/her away,
Fetch him/her away, fetch him/her away,
Who will you send to fetch him/her away,
On a cold and frosty morning.
We'll send [name] to fetch him/her away,
Fetch him/her away, fetch him/her away,
We'll send [name] to fetch him/her away,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Origins

Conopodium majus with pignut depicted.
Hawthorn blossoms, possibly the original "knots of may."

The rhyme is first recorded by Alice Gomme in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland (1894-8). It is a variant of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush", with which it shares a tune and closing line.[1]

Nuts are not gathered in England in May. However the corm or tuber of Conopodium majus is commonly called pignut, groundnut etc. and would be in season in May. This was commonly gathered by children as it grows under the ground and is sparse, meaning that it was not a viable food source to be gathered in quantities by adults. It is also possible that the lyrics could be a corruption of "knots of may", referring to the blossom of the common hawthorn.[2]

Cultural references

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A. Gomme, The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland vol i, (London, 1894), pp. 424-33.
  2. ↑ "Ne'er cast a clout till May be out", Phrases.org.uk.
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