“Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush”

Description

"Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, Here we go round... So early in the morning." "This is the way we wash our clothes." "This is the way we bake the bread." And so forth, through many household tasks

Notes

Linscott reports this to the tune "Nancy Dawson," also used for "Nuts in May," and they do use the same tune in my experience, though I've never heard it called "Nancy Dawson."

I find it hard to imagine how Scarborough's version about a "strawberry bush" arose; strawberries don't grow on bushes.

There is another song, indexed as "This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes," which shares lyrics and feeling with this. But it's a doll-dancing song; I've very tantatively split them. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Gathering Nuts in May" (tune)
• cf. "This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes" (lyrics)
• cf. "The Old Soap-Gourd" (form)

References

1. Linscott, pp. 38-40, "Mulb'ry Bush" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. MHenry-Appalachians, p. 244, (no title) (1 short text)
3. Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 138, (no title) (1 text, in which the bush becomes a "strawberry bush"!)
4. Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #638, p. 253, "(Here we go round the bramble bush)"
5. DT, MULBERBS
6. Roud #7882
7. BI, Lins038