See Saw Margery Daw facts for kids

"See Saw Margery Daw" is a very old and popular English language nursery rhyme. It is also known as a folksong and a playground singing game. This means children often sing it while playing a game.

The rhyme first appeared in the book Mother Goose's Melody. This book was published in London around the year 1765. That makes the rhyme over 250 years old! It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index with the number 13028. This index helps keep track of traditional songs and rhymes.

What are the words?

A common modern version of the rhyme goes like this:

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.

Sometimes, the name "Jacky" is changed to "Johnny" or "Jack." This is common with old rhymes, as people remember them slightly differently over time.

The music for the rhyme

The tune we usually sing with "See Saw Margery Daw" was first written down by a person named James William Elliott. He was a composer and also collected many nursery rhymes. He included the melody in his book National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs, which came out in 1870.