Sift the Lady's Oaten Meal
This song was collected by Alice Bertha Gomme from a person around 1898 in Belfast as part of a collection of songs called "Draw a Pail of Water".
Sift the Lady's Oaten Meal
Singing Game
Sift the lady's oaten meal,
Sift it into flour,
Put it in a chest of drawers
and let it lie an hour.
One of my rush,
Two of my rush,
Please young lady
Come under my bush.
My bush is too high,
My bush is too low,
Please young lady,
Come under my bow.
Stir up the dumpling,
Stir up the dumpling.
Notes
If anyone is familiar with this song please, email me and let me know. We'd like to know if it's still sung today. Thanks! -Mama Lisa
Game Instructions
A string of children, hand in hand, stand in a row. A child (A) stands in front of them, as the leader; two other children (B and C) hold hands and lift them to form an arch. The children sing this song as (A) passes by under the arch, followed by the whole string of children, the last of whom is taken captive by (B) and (C). The verses are repeated, until all are taken.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This was collected by Alice Bertha Gomme from WH Patterson of Belfast and published in "The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes and Methods of Playing" (1898) .
