Wrap up, rowl up, rowl up thee feetie on't,
Wrap up, rowl up, rowl up thee feetie on't,
We never knew we had a bairnie
Till we heard the greetin' on't.

Red-lipped, rosy cheeked, just like the mother on't
Black-haired, knock-kneed, just like the father on't
We never knew we had a bairnie
Till we heard the greetin' on't.

**********

Beware an oak--
It draws the stroke
Avoid an ash,
It courts the flash;
Creep under a thorn --
It'll keep you from harm.

**********

The little priest of Felton,
The little priest of Felton,
He killed a mouse within his house
And no one there to help 'im.

**********

See a pin and pick it up
All the day ye'll have good luck.
See a pin and let it lie,
Ye'll need a pin before ye die.

**********

Magpie, magpie, flutter and flee,
Turn up your tail and good luck to me.

**********

Legs Cross Hill and Bildershaw
Mak' many a hoss to puff an' blaw.

**********

In Darlington there is a stone,
Most strange is it to tell,
That it turns nine times round about
When it hears the clock strike twelve.

**********

Ovington Edge and Cockfield Fell
Are the coldest spots
Twixt heaven and hell.

**********

The cuckoo comes of mid-March,
And cucks of mid-April,
And gans away of midsummer month,
When the corn begins to fill.

**********

Says the River Pont to the river Blyth,
"Where thoo droons one, I droon five."
Says the River Blyth to the River Pont,
"The mair's the shame on't!"

**********

Rowan tree and red threed
Put the witches to their speed.

**********

Sea gull, sea gull sit in the sand,
It's never good weather when your on the land.

**********

When Roseberry Topping wears a hat,
Morden Carrs will suffer for that.

**********

Jimmy the Mowdy made a great crowdy;
Barney O'Neal he found all the meal;
Old Jack Rutter sent two stone of butter;
The laird of the hot boiled it in his pot;
And Big Tom of the Hall, he supped it all!

**********

Insa minsa susa lala
Follow m'link, m'link m'lala
Follow m'link, follow m'la
Follow m'link, m'link, m'lala.

**********

'Tis certain that the dun cow's milk
Keeps all the prebends' wives in silk;
But this indeed is plain to me;
The dun cow's self is a shame to see.

**********

Ickle ockle blue bockle, fishes in the sea;
If you want a pretty girl, please choose me.

**********

Trimdon Troughlegs stands upon a hill,
Poor silly Fishburn stands stock-still,
Butterwick walls are like to fall
But Sedgefield is the flower of them all.

**********

Old Roger has died and gone to his grave
He, hi, gone to his grave;
They planted an apple tree over his head
He hi over his head;
The apples grew ripe and they all fell off
He hi all fell off;
There came an old woman and picked them all up
He hi picked them all up;
Old Roger got up and he gave her a knock
He hi gave her a knock,
That made that old woman go hipperty-hop,
He hi hipperty-hop.

**********

There was a man and he went mad
He jumped into a paper bag.
The paper bag was too narrow
He jumped into a wheel barrow.
The wheel barrow took on fire
He jumped into a cow byre.
The cow byre was too nasty
He jumped into an apple pasty.
The apple pasty was too sweet
He jumped into Chester-le-Street.
Chester-le-Street was full of stones,
He fell down and broke his bones.

**********

March wind
Kindles the adder and blooms the whin.

**********

When Cheviot you see put on his cap
Of rain we'll hae a wee bit drap.

**********

Four stiff standers,
Four dilly danglers
Two lookers, two crookers
And a wig wag

© Philip Atkinson. All rights reserved

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