Gay Go Up and Gay Go Down Lyrics
Fourteen London church bells, each with something to say. Hidden among them is a little story about money owed and a debt that may never be paid.
Gay Go Up and Gay Go Down
Gay go up and gay go down,
To ring the bells of London town.
Bull's eyes and targets,
Say the bells of St. Marg'ret's.
Brickbats and tiles,
Say the bells of St. Giles'.
Halfpence and farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells of St. Peter's.
Two sticks and an apple,
Say the bells at Whitechapel.
Old Father Baldpate,
Say the slow bells at Aldgate.
You owe me ten shillings,
Say the bells at St. Helen's.
Pokers and tongs,
Say the bells at St. John's.
Kettles and pans,
Say the bells at St. Ann's.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells at Shoreditch.
Pray when will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I am sure I don't know,
Says the great bell at Bow.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/gay-go-up-and-gay-go-down/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Sung
- Best for ages
- 5 to 11 years
What Does Gay Go Up and Gay Go Down Mean?
Each pair of lines gives a church bell a phrase that rhymes with the church's name. Some are objects (pokers and tongs, kettles and pans), and some build a conversation: "You owe me ten shillings" says St. Helen's, Old Bailey asks "When will you pay me?", Shoreditch answers "When I grow rich", and the great bell at Bow ends it with "I am sure I don't know." Brickbats are broken pieces of brick, and Old Father Baldpate is a joking name for someone with a bald head.
History and Origin
Halliwell printed this longer bell rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England. It shares many lines with Oranges and Lemons, and Halliwell's version even finishes with the same two-line chasing-game ending, which we have left out here. Bow bells belong to St Mary-le-Bow, and there is an old saying that a true Londoner, a Cockney, is born within the sound of them.
Learning Activities
- Bell voices: give each child one church and let them sing their bell's line in turn.
- Map it: find Bow, Stepney, Shoreditch and Whitechapel on a map of London.
- Debt story: pick out the lines that tell the story of the ten shillings and act it out.