Galloping Lyrics
Girls kneel and slap their knee in time to the words as they gallop through a list of petticoat colors, and the song lasts as long as they can think of new ones.
Galloping
Galloping, galloping to the fair,
Courting the girls with the red petticoats;
Galloping, galloping all day long,
Courting the girls with the speckled petticoats.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/galloping/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted in a steady beat
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Galloping, galloping | Slap one knee in time with each word. |
| to the fair | Sweep one arm out and point ahead. |
| red petticoats | Name a new color and point to something that color. |
What Does Galloping Mean?
This is a rhythm and color game. The players gallop to the fair in the song, and each time through the second and fourth lines they swap in a new color for the petticoats: red, speckled, and as many more as they can think of. A petticoat is a skirt worn under a dress. To "court" the girls here means to visit and try to win their company.
Because the length depends on the singers, it is a good game for practicing colors and for keeping a steady beat on the knee.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme collected the chant for the second volume of The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1898) from the Isle of Man, where A. W. Moore sent it in. The book says the girls sing it resting one knee on the ground and striking the other knee with the right hand as they say each word.
Gomme adds that the length of the song depends on the players' cleverness in finding new colors each time, and that the game was no longer known where she collected it.
Learning Activities
- Color list: see how many colors the group can name without repeating one.
- Knee beat: sit on the floor and keep the slap going steadily while the verses change.
- Pattern petticoats: draw a petticoat for each color you sing.
- Change the words: swap petticoats for hats or socks and sing it again.