Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer Lyrics
Children in Forfarshire used this string of Scots words to pick who was out in a game, ending with a bonnie poppy-show and a firm "You are out!"
Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer
Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer,
Doon i' Carnoustie, merchant-dale.
Leddy Celestie, Sandy Testie,
Bonnie poppy-show.
You are out!
More verses from the original
Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer,
Doon i' Carnoustie, merchant-dale.
Leddy Celestie, Sandy Testie,
Bonnie poppy-show.
You are out!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/eemer-awmer-kirsty-gawmer/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken counting-out rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer | Point to one child on each beat. |
| You are out! | Point and step back to show who is out. |
What Does Eemer-awmer, Kirsty Gawmer Mean?
A counting-out rhyme is said before a game to decide who is "it". The leader points to one player on each beat, and whoever gets the last word is out. This one is in Scots. Doon is down, Leddy is lady, and Carnoustie is a real seaside town in Angus, which was once called Forfarshire. Poppy-show was an old word for a puppet show, so the last picture is probably a bonnie, or pretty, puppet show.
Many of the other words, like Eemer-awmer and Kirsty Gawmer, are probably just rhythmic sounds. That is typical of counting-out rhymes.
History and Origin
Robert Ford prints it in Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories (1904), in a chapter about counting-out rhymes. He says it was used by "Forfarshire bairns", bairns being Scots for children.
He gives it alongside other Scottish rhymes from different parts of the country, including a few that are close cousins of one another. Counting-out rhymes were passed on by children themselves, so each town ended up with its own words.
Learning Activities
- Pick a leader: use the rhyme to choose who goes first in a game.
- Scots words: look up bairn, doon and leddy and say what they mean in modern English.
- Beat check: count how many beats are in each line and try to keep it steady.