Here We Go Round by Ring, by Ring Lyrics
Children go round in a ring and curtsey here, there and down to the ground, the way the rhyme says ladies do in Yorkshire.
Here We Go Round by Ring, by Ring
Here we go round by ring, by ring,
As ladies do in Yorkshire;
A curtsey here, a curtsey there,
A curtsey to the ground, sir.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/here-we-go-round-by-ring-by-ring/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted walking round in a ring, with a curtsey on each of the last two lines
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Here we go round by ring, by ring | Hold hands and walk slowly round in a circle. |
| A curtsey here, a curtsey there | Bend your knees in a small curtsey to one side, then the other. |
| A curtsey to the ground, sir | Sink low in a big, slow curtsey, then stand up again. |
What Does Here We Go Round by Ring, by Ring Mean?
The words describe the game as it goes. The children go round by ring, by ring, which just means ring after ring, round and round. Then come three curtseys: one here, one there, and a last one all the way to the ground. A curtsey is a small bow made by bending the knees.
The rhyme says this is how ladies do it in Yorkshire, so the children copy a grand, polite greeting. The last curtsey, down to the ground, is made to a partner, who is called sir.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme prints the rhyme in the second volume of The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1898). She gives it from Hersham, Surrey, where it had been noted in the Folk-lore Record.
Gomme says there is no description of how the game is played, but that it is evidently a similar game to Ring-a-Ring o' Roses.
Learning Activities
- Grand greetings: practise curtseys and bows of different sizes, from a tiny nod to one down to the floor.
- Slow and quick: go round the ring slowly for the first two lines, then speed up for the curtseys.
- Partner bows: face a friend on the last line and bow or curtsey to each other.