Old Playground Rhymes, Songs Or Games From The Bedlington Area?

[AnnaF]

Hi everyone,

I moved to Bedlington a few months ago and took my storytelling business with me. I've been asked to do some storytelling in local homes for the elderly and am really excited about the opportunity. However, I would love to weave in old rhymes, games or songs from the residents' childhoods into my stories but I don't know any from the Bedlington area! If you know any local rhymes, songs, or stories from the past, could you please let me know.

Thank you all in advance,

Anna

www.uponmyword.co.uk

[johndawsonjune1955]

there are plenty memories by members on here.

but rhymes can't recall any.

the games we played would be similar to other areas.

i wil have a butchers through some of the groups paperwork see if there is anything filed away.

Oh yes, just remembered, there was a cobler at Hartford and he repaied shoes and made shoes for people from around the area.

everytime he did something he did a poem, rhyme about it and the person, and some vip peepes too from Hartford. It even included how much they paid him in some of them.

We have his book with them in, but its not in great condition, and sadly won't be able to let you take it away as its only one of its kind, written by him, but i will see if a member has time to write a few out for you, and i can get them on-line.

there from the just after the middle 1800's to late 1800;s

a super piece of history.

Edited April 5, 2013 by johndawsonjune1955

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Old rhyme passed from older kids to new starters,at the Whitley Memorial school......[sung to a "daa....da.....da....daa....da", fashion!]

"We hae thi best skyuul,it's med o' bricks and plaster,thi ownly thing that spoils it,is thi baaldy-heeded master".

[referring to aad Nicky,ahem....Mr Nicholson....the tyrant..headmaster..].

Another one was ......."Maizy dotes on Quaker oats,and semolina pudding...!".....[referring to the lovely miss Maize,who we all loved,and used to just laugh at us in the playground when she was on duty,and we all ganged up and sang it loud to her!]

We used to collect the cardboard milk bottle tops,dry them out,and put them on a long string..hanging them from our belt.

The game was called "Skimmers".

You stood one up against the wall,stepped back ten yards or more,and took turns to "skim" a top through the air,like a frizbee,and the object of the game was to be the first to hit the one against the wall, and knock it down.

The winner,collected all the tops that had been skimmed and missed the target!

Simple pleasures in life cost nowt!

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

When our youngest, not two years old, she stayed with me mother, for 3-4 weeks whilst the wife went into hospital for an op and recovered. My mother could talk, skip, dance and amuse children all day. One little rhyme the youngin came out with was :-

 

Igglede pigglede   (not Higglede Pigglede)

Isolocite

Bumbalada jig

Every man who has no hair

Aut to where a wig.

 

No idea where it came; can't find anything about it on the www so it might be 'Bedlingtonian' (but it could also be Scottish, from me dad's side).

 

Anybody else heard that rhyme?

Edited April 6, 2014 by Eggy1948

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

There is a story/poem/verse on the Bedlington Sun Inn Murders on SixTownships site:-

http://www.sixtownships.org.uk/sun-inn-murders-poem.html

A verse from H Poulson. 

 

A story teller should be able to precis that done to something an audience might find amusing or informative. 

[Smudgeinthebudge]

I've remembered one from my childhood that went like this;-

 

Av got a gud Ganny,

a very gud Ganny,

A very gud Ganny is she.

Shi rubs me belly wif a haf a brick,

and skelps me bum wif a rhubarb stick.

 

Another one (sung to the tune of Rule Britannia)

 

Rule Britannia mother's mekkin jam,

three bangers behind her bum,

Bang! Bang! Bang!

 

A think these show a healthy irreverence the kids had then. AB

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Me aauldest Son is noo 45 yrs old.

When we lived in the colliery hoose at West Terrace,in Bomarsund,it was me Son's fifth,[a think!]..birthday,and wor lass aalwis byekked a load o stuff ti gie the bairns a nice little tea party.[this party would have been aboot 1973-ish.]Aal thi bairns in the street came in for the tea party.

Wa neighbour's lovely little lassie,Julie,responded to the game where each kid had ti sing a song,or say a bit o poetry,with this little ditty...[said in broadest Northumbrian...we're NOT Geordie's....right!]........

"Aal uv a sudden,thi big black pudden,came floatin owa thi air.......it missed me Mutha, and hit me Faatha, and knocked him off thi chaior..."!![chair].

We aal fell  aboot laughing,cos this little lassie had a lovely way of speaking,normally,and it soonded queer hearing her tryin ti taak i n wor dialect,even though she was a coalminer's Daughter..!

Obviously her Granny or sumbody aada had larn't hor that one,which aav still got on aad-fashioned reel ti reel tape,alang with aal the kids having a gud time at wor hoose,in the days when it wasn't a crime ti say hello ti ya neighbour's kids,or kick a baal roond wi thi young laddies in the back street,withoot being thought of as a ..........!!!!

Happy days!

[Canny lass]

I remember that from the 1950's HPW! We used to sing it and skip (with a skipping rope) to the tune. I can't remember the name of the tune, if indeed I ever knew it, but I often Heard it played by the brass bands at the Picnic. Some kind of march I Think.

[Vic Patterson]

I remember that from the 1950's HPW! We used to sing it and skip (with a skipping rope) to the tune. I can't remember the name of the tune, if indeed I ever knew it, but I often Heard it played by the brass bands at the Picnic. Some kind of march I Think.

Blaze away, is the tune I remember Canny lass!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HafJUfdwujY

[Canny lass]

That's the one Vic! That brought back a few memories. I nearly got my skippy ropes out but settled for a spot of tap dancing instead.

[tonyg]

i had to stop tap dancing because. i kept falling off into the sink

Edited May 2, 2014 by tonyg

[Canny lass]

Very good, Tonyg!

[Maggie/915]

We used to play 'Cannon'

Lolly sticks and a tin can, but I cannot remember the rules.

I guess you ran when all the sticks fell.

Rounders with old and young taking part, no particular rules or everyone just joining in .

Skipping games with lots of rhymes we all knew.

Home made swings attached to doors and again with songs and rhymes to keep you going.

No money required only a need to join in.

[Brian Cross]

I can remember my Granma putting words to this tune;

 

Al of a sudden a big black puddin went flying thru the air

 

it missed me Mutha and hit me Fatha and knocked him

 

off his chair............................ and so on

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Tune to these words,Brian! heh heh![hae ye had a few?!!!!!!]

Sunday nights in the summer,at Hollymount Square,was a hive of activity!

Bob Humble,[a neighbour friend],and my eldest Sister,used to organise games,which ranged from "Hot rice" [wi tennis racquets],Rounders,Cannon..[yes,lolly sticks on top of a bean can,hit by a ball..],"Tiggy-in-thi-bay",Sprinting races aroond thi block,and a game where yi aal stood in a circle,and one in thi middle,and yi had ti try and hit thi middle one wi thi baal!!

Bob went aroond the kerbs in the square,and measured thi distance wi a foot-ruler,[a wood one from skyeull!],....[300mm in new money!],and then did

a bit arithmetic,working it oot that five times aroond the square was near enough to a straight mile,near enough for timing the races aroond thi block!

Of course he was accompanied by a squad of us other kids,eager ti find oot thi results!

This seems so simple a pleasure noo,when yi think back,but at thi time,everything was exciting,cost nowt,and we had loads of excercise,fresh air,and gud aad friendship.

There were similar gatherings through the week also,but early bedtimes for a lot of us meant there were fewer kids taking part,and you couldn't make any noise for the pitmen who were in bed,ti get up for fore-shift,which was usually the midneet shift.

Vic's better half will remember playing two,and three,mebbe four-baaly,bays , skippy,"chucks"..[wi bits of chippings off the road!-nae fancy chaak ones!]

A can vividly remember the lassies playing these games and singing along but a canna mind the words noo!

Us laddies used ti sumtimes play skippy and bays wi thi lassies,cos we were aal gud friends and neighbours.

These were really happy days,and that's just when we laddies weren't playing doon the woods,and the river etc.....we didn't need P.T. lessons at school,we got loads of excercise at yem!!

[Brian Cross]

Blaze away, is the tune I remember Canny lass!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HafJUfdwujY

Sorry HPW i forgot to include the Tune

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Cheers,Brian,tek nae notice o' my impitence!

A knaa the tune,but a didn't knaa the nyem o' it!!

Like a say,ignorance is bliss!

Mind,a think we were born in the best period of time,since time began,cos we had simple happy pleasures as kids,grew up wi rock'n'roll,and the space -age..technology advances.....etc....kids will never experience the advances from horse and carts to wat they've got nooadays!,like we did!!!

[Tonyp]

Playing doctors & nurses doon the happney woods

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

.......Mrs White,had a fright,in the middle of the night........

........She saw a ghost,eating toast,halfway up a lamp-post.....![sang to the twirl of the skippy ropes!]

........Carling,Palm,....Paste-egg day........[??????????????]...please finish it someone!![memory-block on this one!]

Courtesy of my Wife,who was adept at all these activities as a lassie!

[Canny lass]

I can remember that one, HPW.

Salt, mustard, vinegar, pepper, carlin, palm, paste-egg day.

Carlin, palm and paste-egg day I could understand, as they all had something to do with Easter, but I couldn't see any Connection to Easter among the others.

 

Can anybody remember the skipping 'song'

 

Jelly on a plate

Jelly on a plate

Wibble wobble, Wibble, wobble

Jelly on a plate.

[Maggie/915]

Ah the memories come flooding back.

How about the Farmer wants a wife,

then the dog, then the bone.

Finally we all pat the dog.

Poor dog!

I cannot remember if it was all done skipping or just standing in a circle.

Maybe there was more to it !

[Symptoms]

Yellow bellied custard, green snot pie,

Mix it, mix it with a dead dog's eye,

Mix it, mix it, mix it thick,

And wash it down your gullet with a hot cup of sick.

 

A verse usually sung at school lunchtime.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Symptoms

[Maggie/915]

'Yellow Mattered Custard'

That's my memory.

Still use it to shock the Grandkids.

Then there is a terrible rhyme about eating worms.

Bush tucker trial.

[Canny lass]

Going down the garden to eat Worms. That brings back memories of the Girl Guides and  and camp-fire sing songs with Miss Craigs!

[Malc H]

Here come the tetty pickers doon the  Shiiney rah

Some wi raggy  britches on

And some hah nen at ah

sung after a hard day

 

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