See Saw Margery Daw
Encyclopedia
"See Saw Margery Daw" is a popular English language
nursery rhyme
, folksong
and playground singing game
. The rhyme first appeared in its modern form in Mother Goose's Melody, published in London in around 1765. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 13028.
The name Jacky is often replaced with Johnny or Jack.
is one of the oldest 'rides' for children , easily constructed from logs of different sizes. The words of "See Saw Margery Daw" reflect children playing on a see-saw and singing this rhyme to accompany their game. No person has been identified by the name Margery Daw and so it is assumed that this was purely used to rhyme with the words 'seesaw'.
The rhyme may have its origins as a work song
for saw
yers, helping to keep rhythm when using a two-person saw. In his 1640 play The Antipodes
, Richard Brome
indicated the connection between sawyers and the phrase "see saw sacke a downe". The game of see-saw in which two children classically sit opposite each other holding hands and moving backwards and forwards first appears in print from about 1700.
The Opies note that "daw" means "a lazy person",
but in Scots it is "an untidy woman, a slut, a slattern" and give this
variant of "Margery Daw":
"Slut" may have carried no sexual connotations in this rhyme as its original meaning was simply "a slovenly woman". (Compare "Cinderslut", one of the older titles for "Cinderella
", who was dirty in that she was covered in ashes from raking the cinders.)
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
, folksong
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
and playground singing game
Singing game
A singing game is an activity based around a particular verse or rhyme, usually associated with a set of actions and movements. They have been studied by folklorists, ethnologists and psychologists and are seen as important part of childhood culture...
. The rhyme first appeared in its modern form in Mother Goose's Melody, published in London in around 1765. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 13028.
Lyrics
A common modern version is:- See Saw Margery Daw,
- Jacky shall have a new master;
- Jacky shall earn but a penny a day,
- Because he can't work any faster.
The name Jacky is often replaced with Johnny or Jack.
Meaning and origin
The seesawSeesaw
A seesaw is a long, narrow board pivoted in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.-Mechanics:Mechanically a seesaw is a lever and fulcrum....
is one of the oldest 'rides' for children , easily constructed from logs of different sizes. The words of "See Saw Margery Daw" reflect children playing on a see-saw and singing this rhyme to accompany their game. No person has been identified by the name Margery Daw and so it is assumed that this was purely used to rhyme with the words 'seesaw'.
The rhyme may have its origins as a work song
Work song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
for saw
Saw
A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...
yers, helping to keep rhythm when using a two-person saw. In his 1640 play The Antipodes
The Antipodes
The Antipodes is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by Richard Brome c. 1640. Many critics have ranked The Antipodes as "his best play...Brome's masterpiece," and one of the best Caroline comedies — "gay, imaginative, and spirited...;" "the most sophisticated and ingenious of Brome's...
, Richard Brome
Richard Brome
Richard Brome was an English dramatist of the Caroline era.-Life:Virtually nothing is known about Brome's private life. Repeated allusions in contemporary works, like Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, indicate that Brome started out as a servant of Jonson, in some capacity...
indicated the connection between sawyers and the phrase "see saw sacke a downe". The game of see-saw in which two children classically sit opposite each other holding hands and moving backwards and forwards first appears in print from about 1700.
The Opies note that "daw" means "a lazy person",
but in Scots it is "an untidy woman, a slut, a slattern" and give this
variant of "Margery Daw":
- See-saw, Margery Daw,
- Sold her bed and lay on the straw;
- Sold her bed and lay upon hay
- And piskyPixiePixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name.They are usually depicted with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed...
came and carried her away. - For wasn't she a dirty slut
- To sell her bed and lie in the dirt?
"Slut" may have carried no sexual connotations in this rhyme as its original meaning was simply "a slovenly woman". (Compare "Cinderslut", one of the older titles for "Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
", who was dirty in that she was covered in ashes from raking the cinders.)
Cultural references
- In the animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Shakugan no ShanaShakugan no Shana, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
, a character called Margery Daw is introduced as the chanter of elegies. Later she is seen singing a verse from the song. - At the end of "Gallows Pole" (1970) by Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
sings "See Saw Margery Daw" in reference to the swinging movement of a hanged body. - Marjorie Daw is a short story by Thomas Bailey AldrichThomas Bailey AldrichThomas Bailey Aldrich was an American poet, novelist, travel writer and editor.-Early life and education:...
(published in book form in 1873). - In Ender's GameEnder's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
, Ender is teased by Stilson and a group of bullies; someone chants "See Saw Margery Daw" in addition to calling him a "Third." - In the British television comedy panel game "Shooting Stars", starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, the character played by Matt Lucas was called George Dawes. George's mother, Marjorie, would occasionally appear in his place, and was also played by Lucas. Lucas later reprised this role for the character Marjorie Dawes, an overbearing and merciless leader of the weight loss group "Fatfighters", in the BBC comedy sketch show Little Britain.
- The rhyme is used to refer to Margo Lane in the Feb 1948 radio drama "Nursery Rhyme", one of the Shadow's cases.