FTX-289 - GET LOST, YOU BIG SLOB

Here are the original recordings by Sasha Moorsom (the late Lady Young of Dartington) of children in playgrounds all over England to illustrate the programme she put together with the late Peter Opie in 1960 on the historical and folklore background to the playground rhymes and games still played by children in Britain, as well as comment on their beliefs and customs. Some of the recordings were specially made by Sasha Moorsom, but other illustrations were those made by Peter Kennedy and Damian Webb now housed in the Folktrax Archive.

1. Playground atmosphere/ EENY MEENY MACHARACHA (Counting out Rhyme) - EENY MEENY MINY MO - 0'40"

2. Popular TV programmes: BRONCO LANE HAD A PAIN - 0'27"

3. Juvenile pugnacity: GET LOST, YOU BIG SLOB - DROP DEAD - I'LL BASH YOUR BRAINS IN FOR YOU - o'40"

4. Jeers & abusive names: I CALL SKINNY PEOPLE MATCHSTICKS OR SKINNYFLINTS - 0'45"

5. Historical examples; School meals: WHEN WE HAVE SAGO FOR SCHOOL DINNER - 0'23"

6. More food: SOMETIMES PEOPLE SAY TO YOU - 0'25"

7. Singing games: ROSES RED & VIOLETS BLUE - I'M A LITTLE ORPHAN GIRL - ON A MOUNTAIN STANDS A LADY - (spoken rhyme) LITLE NANCY EDGECOTE - 1'29"

8. Improper dress: IF WE SEE SOMEONE'S SLIP HANGING - 0'36"

9. Dunces: THERE IS A SCHOOL IN LIVERPOOL - 0'23"

10. Personal comment: NOBODY LIKES ME - 0'19"

11. Protection from name-calling: STICKS AND STONES WILL BREAK MY BONES - 0'15"

12. Cry-babies: WATER CART, WATER CART - COWARDY, COWARDY CUSTARD - 0'36"

13. Sneakers: TELL-TALE TIT - 0'28"

14. Regional truce names (FAINIES etc): (London) I GO TO A SCHOOL IN POPLAR - (Liverpool) WHEN WE'RE HAVING A GAME - (Australia): I COME FROM WOMAROO (BARLIES) - 1'07"

15. Proprietary rights: I BAGS BE FIRST - Yorkshire "Figgy": WHEN SOMEBODY WANTS TO BE OFF - "laggy": WHEN YOU WANT TO BE LAST - "Lag" at Public School: AT ETON - 0'48"

16. “Finding’s keeping”: IF YOU FIND SOMETHING - 0’30”

17. (cont.) Stepney: SOME PEOPLE SAY - Crying “halves”: IF MY BROTHER
FINDS SOMETHING - 0’18”

18. “Truth” sayings: I LIVE IN OXFORD - 0’51”

19. Authority: MY TEACHER’S GOT A BUNION - 0’25”

20. Truancy: Bermondsey: I’M GOING UP THE WAG - 0’15”

21. Truancy names: WHEN A BOY WANTS TO SLOPE AWAY FROM SCHOOL - 0’20”

22. Police: NO WONDER, NO WONDER THAT COPPERS (Policeman) ARE FAT
- 0’19”

23. (cont.) WHEN I SEE A POLICEMAN - Liverpool: SEVERAL NAMES OF POLICEMEN
- 0’43”

24. (cont.) Manchester: BLACKJACKS, KNOBBERS - 0’16”

25. (cont.) Wakefield: WELL, THERE’S SIX FOOT MISERIES - 0’18”

26. (cont,) Bermondsey (song): I SAW A BOBBY ON THE CORNER - Counting
out rhyme from Germany: EINA MEINA MEINA MOA - 0’37”

27. Shepherd numerals: Cumberland: YAN. TAN, TETHERA, METHERA - EENY
MEENY MACHARACHA - 0’33”

28. Atmosphere: MY OLD MAN’S A DUSTMAN - 0’23”

29. Liverpool: AFTER THE BALL WAS CENTRED - ROCK AND ROLL A DAY IN
BED - I KNOW A GIRL - I LEFT OUR SCHOOL LAST JULY - JOHNNY WENT DOWN
WITH SOMEBODY, PARLEZ VOUS - IN 1954 HITLER WENT TO WAR - 1’43”

30. DOWN IN THE WATER TEN FEET DEEP - NOW THE WAR IS OVER - 0’26”

31. (cont.) Modern: CATCH A FALLING SPUTNIK - Pop stars: DIANA DORS
LOST HER DRAWERS - 0’37”

32. End of school: ONE MORE DAY TO GO - 0’15”

33. BOOTSIE HAD A LITTLE BOY - MAUREEN BLAKE FELL IN THE LAKE - WE
THREE KINGS - Mrs WHITE HAD A FRIGHT - 0’30”

34. WHAT’S YOUR NAME? - WHO’S THAT KNOCKING? - 0’23”

35. Pun Stories: THERE WAS A LITTLE BOY/ MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS/ ROLLING
COFFIN - 2.00

36. One-upmanship: SOMETIMES WHEN A PERSON SAYS TO YOU - 1’18”

37. WHEN SOMEBODY ASKS ME THE TIME - 0’14”

38. IF YOU GO ROUND ASKING SOMEBODY - 0’17”

39. HA, HA, VERY FUNNY - Street jeers: STOP, YOUR BACK WHEEL’S FOLLOWING
YOU - 0’24”

40. Painful jokes: IF YOU WERE IN A RIGHT BIG FIELD - PINCH ME - 0’43”

41 Trickery: SAY: JUST LIKE ME - 0’34”

42. SAY HOW AFTER EVERYHING I SAY - 0’14”

43. MICKEY MOUSE IN HIS HOUSE - THE HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAINS - 0’23”

44. NOT LAST NIGHT BUT THE NIGHT BEFORE - 0’22”

45. NEBUCADNEZZAR THE KING OF THE JEWS - 0’24”

46. LITTLE FAT DOCTOR - 0’14”

47. Tangle talk: I WENT TO THE PICTURES TOMORROW - 0’15”

48. (cont.) I COME BEFORE YOU TO STAND BEHIND YOU - TWAS SUMMER IN
THE ROCKIES - ONE FINE DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT - 0’40”

49. Conundrums: WHAT BILL DO YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR? - 0’29”

50. Riddle with a catch: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN? - THERE WERE
THREE CORNFLAKES - 0’39”

51. Banbury: WHY DOES THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH? - WHY DID THE CHICKEN
CROSS THE ROAD? - 0’28”

52 (cont.) WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A DOOR? - WHERE WAS MOSES WHEN THE LIGHT
WENT OUT? - CONSTANTINOPLE IS A VERY BIG WORD - HOW MANY BALLS OF
STRING? - 0’21”

53. Westmoreland Pace-egg Song: HERE’S TWO OR THREE JOLLY BOYS - 0’33”

54 Time & fortune: ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH - 0’25”

55. (continued) WE PINCH SOMEBODY - 0’46”

56. AS IT WAS APRIL FOOL’S DAY - 0’56”

57. Tying shoelaces: ON APRIL FOOL’S DAY - 0’19”

58. (cont.) The 12 o’clock rule: IF ANYBODY TRIES - 0’25”

59. Cumberland & N.Yorks: MAY GOSLINGS PAST AND GONE - Sussex: FIRST
OF MAY IS PINCH-BOTTOM DAY - 0’16”

60. May 29th & nettling: WE DON’T GO TO SCHOOL - Hampshire: Ash Wednesday:
I LIVE AT HAWKLEY - 0’38”

61. Yorkshire: WELL ON KISSING FRIDAY - 0’52”

62. Liverpool Judas: THIS BURNING ON GOOD FRIDAY - 1’17”

63. (cont.) Police: LAST YEAR I GOT CHASED - 0’59”

64. Easter Rollings: FIRST OF ALL WE GET AN EGG - 0’36”

65. “Jarping”: WHEN I DUMP MINE - 0’29”

66. Secular Easter: HOT CROSS BUNS - 0’21”

67. Manchester May Day: WE’VE COME TO GREET YOU - 0’12”

68. WELL WE GOT READY - 0’27”

69. MOLLY DANCERS KICKING UP A ROW - 0’22”

70. We were knocking at the door: ALL ROUND THIS MERRY MAYPOLE - Final
Song: SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN - Begging rhyme: CHRISTMAS IS COMING
- 0’38”

71. Bonfire Night: ON GUY FAWKES DAY WE ALL GO CHUBBING - 0’40”

72. Mischief Night (Nov 4th): WELL I GOT A LONG PIECE OF STRING -
1’15”

73. London St James “Grottas”: PLEASE COULD YOU SPARE A PENNY - 0’20”

74. Skipping Actuality: RASPBERRY, STRAWBERRY, GOOSBERRY JAM - 1’11”

75. Divination: PRUNE STONES TELL YOU - 0’59”

76. (cont.) WHEN YOU GET THE BUS TICKETS - 0’25”

77. (cont.): I HAVE A BUS TICKET - 0’25”

78. (cont.) Short term forecast: YOU PICK THE TICKET - 0’16”

79. (cont.): ONE’S FOR SORROW - 0’22”

80. (cont.) Love tokens: IF SOMEBODY’S COLLAR’S TURNED UP - LOVE BUMPS
- 0’21”

81. (cont.) Stepney: THERE’S ALL DIFFERENT COLOURS - MY FRIEND TOLD
ME - 0’39”

82. Luck bringers: WHEN WE HAVE OUR EXAMS - 0’50”

83. (cont.) WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR BIRTHDAY - IF YOU PRICK YOUR FINGER
- 0’27”

84. Coincidences: IF TWO PEOPLE ACCIDENTALLY SAY - 0’16”

85. Luck Superstitions: WHEN YOU’RE WALKING AND YOU SEE A LADDER -
0’18”

86. (cont.) In the North: BEFORE YOU GO UNDER A LADDER - 0’18”

87. (cont.): IF YOU SEE A WHITE HORSE - 0’12”

88. (cont.) Ambulances: I GO TO A SCHOOL IN POPLAR - Purley: WHEN
YOU SEE AN AMBULANCE - (cont.) 4-legged animal: I LIVE IN SHIFNAL
- Oxford: WHEN YOU SEE AN AMBULANCE - 1’06”

89. (cont.): FOR THE MAIL-VAN YOU SAY - 0’11”

90. Other encounters: LADYBIRD, LADYBIRD - 0’13”

91. (cont.) WHEN YOU SEE A FEATHER - 0’51”

92. (cont.) WHEN I FIND A WOODBINE CIGARETTE PACKET - 0’46”

93. WE SAY: IF YOU TREAD ON A LINE - (Hants) THE WISHING STONE - 0’26”

94. Warts: WHEN YOU SEE A FUNERAL - 0’32”

95. London Cypriot boy: MY GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER - 0’22”

96. (cont.) I HAD A WART - adding Saliva spittle: I HAD SINCE BIRTH
- 0’41”

97. (cont.) Welsh: fat bacon: I HAD A NUMBER OF WARTS - 0’12”

98. (cont.) London: YOU PUT FOUR PEBBLES IN A MATCHBOX - SOUND OF
PLAYGROUND - 0’40”

Recorded by Sasha Moorsom & Damian Webb 1960. Edited by Peter Kennedy
and first published by Folktrax 1975.