nnnng.

[labellementeuse]

For what seems like a very long time now, I've been looking for a complete text of the poem "my mother said I never should."
All I can remember of it goes thusly:

My mother said
I never should
play with the gypsies
in the wood.

If I did,
she would say
"Naughty child
to disobey."

...that's all. I have vague ideas that the rest talks about hair curling and going to sea... but I can't remember! Nor can I find the version I read. It's verr frustrating... I found a version which seems familiar, but is missing half of what I know:

GYPSIES IN THE WOOD
Anon

My mother said that I never should
Play with the gypsies in the wood,
The wood was dark; the grass was green;
In came Sally with a tambourine,
I went to the sea - no ship to get across;
I paid ten shillings for a blind white horse;
I up on his back and was off in a crack,
Sally, tell my mother I shall never come back

*complains loudly* Google is telling me that it's a clapping rhyme, so there are umpteen differnet versions. Sigh.

Still, I kinda like the version I found. SO that's poetry for today. :D

Comments

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

I found one where it started the way you remembered and then went on the way the version you found does. There's also one where "Sally" is "Georgie" and the kid who leaves is a boy.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.. thanks. :)