Folk and Traditional Song Lyrics:
Round Apples

Round Apples

Round Apples

1.
Round apples, round apples, by night and by day,
There stands a valley in yonder haze;
There stands poor Lizzie with a knife in her hand,
There's no one dare touch her, or she'll go mad;
Her cheeks were like roses, and now they're like snow,
Poor Lizzie! poor Lizzie! you're dying, I know,
We'll wash you with milk, and we'll dry [or roll] you
   with silk,
And we'll write down your name with a gold pen and ink.

2.
Round apples, round apples, by night and by day,
The stars are a valley down yonder by day;
The stars--poor Annie with a knife in her hand,
You dare not touch her, or else she'll go mad.

Her cheeks were like roses, but now they're like snow,
O Annie, O Annie, you're dying I know.
I'll wash her with milk, and I'll dry her with silk,
I'll write down her name with a gold pen and ink.

3.
Pine Apple, Pine Apple,
By night and by day,
I try to steal poor Lizzie away;
But here comes her father,
With a knife in his hand,
Stand back! stand back!
Or else you'll be stabbed.
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(1) Gomme II (1898), 426, from New Galloway.
(2) Maclagan GDA (1901), 85.  One stands in the centre
of a ring with a "knife" (chip of wood, e.g.) in her
hand.  The others move round her, singing the first 4
lines.  The mother steps to the centre and pretends to
weep as she sings the next part.  They take their places
in the ring, a new girl goes in, and the game begins
again.
(3) Rymour Club Misc. I (1906-11), 150 (4 lines), with
music, from Gorgie School, Edinburgh.  "The air is
reminiscent of `Bonnie Dundee', `O Saviour Bless Us,'
etc." [The latter hymn is often sung to Stella, an
adaptation of the Bonny Dundee tune, i.e. that used for
the bairnsang "Queen Mary, Queen Mary", q.v.] Cf. Opies
Singing Game (1985), 243 (no. 55), with tune from Kerr's
Guild of Play, 1912 (23).  See also "Green Gravel",
ibid., 239 (no. 54); and in Gomme I.170-83, with which
Nicholson (Golspie, 1897, 135 ff.) connects "Queen
Mary", q.v.

In Fraser (1975), 108 is a version which concludes with
the second stanza of "Queen Mary"; beginning "Red apples, red
apples, by night and by day/ I love sweet Betty and Betty
loves me."  This is sung by a girl in front of a line; Betty
joins her, they clasp hands and dance around while the others
sing "I wash her in milk and I dry her with silk/ I write
down her name with a gold pen and ink" [then the "Queen Mary"
lines]; Betty replaces the original girl, and the game
continues.

MS