The Traditional Children's Games of England Scotland
& Ireland In Dictionary Form - Volume 2

With Tunes(sheet music), Singing-rhymes(lyrics), Methods Of Playing with diagrams and illustrations.

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ADDENDA                                     445
Three times round, and then we fall, Around the merry-ma-tansy.
Choose your maidens all around, All around, &c.;
High gates till the bride comes in, The bride comes in, &c.
A golden pin to tell her name, To tell her name, &c.
(Mary Anderson) is her name, Is her name, &c.
Blindfold you all around, All around, &c.
A ring with one child in centre, who chooses one from the circle, at the end of third verse, after whispering the bride's name together outside the circle, they are admitted at " high gates," when all the girls hold up their hands in arches as they dance round. All players in the ring are then blindfolded, and have to catch the child in the centre.—Nairnshire (Rev. Dr. Gregor). Another version is—
Here we go round by jingo-ring,
By jingo-ring, by jingo-ring, Here we go round by jingo-ring, And round by merry matansy. Twice about, and then we fall,
And then we fall, and then we fall. Twice about, and then we fall, And round by merry matansy.
—Fochabers (Rev. Dr. Gregor).
In another version from St. Andrews and Peterhead, with same words, the players all flop down, then rise again and dance round.
Another form of words is—
Here we go round by jingo-ring, Jingo-ring, jingo-ring. Here we go round by jingo-ring, In a cold and frosty morning.