If You with Me Will Go, My Love Lyrics
A young man invites his sweetheart to come and see a pretty show, she says yes, and together they sing that the milk-pail can stand still.
If You with Me Will Go, My Love
If you with me will go, my love,
You shall see a pretty show, my love,
Let dame say what she will:
If you will have me, my love,
I will have thee, my love,
So let the milk-pail stand still.
Since you have said so, my love,
Longer I will go, my love,
Let dame say what she will:
If you will have me, my love,
I will have thee, my love,
So let the milk-pail stand still.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/if-you-with-me-will-go-my-love/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Sung or spoken by two voices, one for each part
- Best for ages
- 4 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| If you with me will go | Hold out your hand in invitation. |
| I will have thee | Take your partner's hand. |
| So let the milk-pail stand still | Hold both hands flat in front of you, palms down, and keep very still. |
What Does If You with Me Will Go, My Love Mean?
The rhyme is a little conversation in two parts. In the first verse a young man asks his sweetheart to come with him to see a pretty show, whatever the dame may say about it. In the second verse the girl replies that since he has said so, she will go. Both verses end with the same promise: if you will have me, I will have you, so let the milk-pail stand still.
Leaving the milk-pail standing still means leaving the daily chores for a while. The tune of the rhyme is cheerful, and the repeated lines make it easy to learn with a partner.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints the rhyme in The Nursery Rhymes of England as a dialogue, with the two verses marked as the young man's part and the girl's part. He gives no author, date or place for it.
It sits among the many short verses in the book that were sung to children and used in games, and it is one of the few that are written for two singers.
Learning Activities
- Sing in pairs: one child takes the first verse and a partner answers with the second.
- Chores chart: talk about what jobs a milk-pail stands for and draw a farm scene.
- Pretty show: invite a friend to a pretend show of puppets or paper cutouts.
- Hold still: say the last line and freeze like the milk-pail until the next verse begins.