Fantasy compiled from Northumbrian Rhymes


Rothbury for goat's milk
Cheviot for mutton,
Cheswick for its bread and cheese,
And Tynemouth for a glutton.
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.
Legs Cross Hill and Bildershaw
Mak' many a hoss to puff an' blaw.
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!"
Ovington Edge and Cockfield Fell
Are the coldest spots
Twixt heaven and hell.

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

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

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

The cuckoo comes of mid-March,
And cucks of mid-April,
And gans away of midsummer month,
When the corn begins to fill.
March wind
Kindles the adder and blooms the whin.
Four stiff standers,
Four dilly danglers
Two lookers, two crookers
And a wig wag
Ickle ockle blue bockle, fishes in the sea;
If you want a pretty girl, please choose me.

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

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.

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

Sea gull, sea gull sit in the sand,
It's never good weather when your on the land.
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!
'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.
The little priest of Felton,
The little priest of Felton,
He killed a mouse within his house
And no one there to help 'im.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.


© Copyright Jerome Raymond Kraus 2006