Jenny Mac Lyrics
Two girls cross their arms behind their backs, join hands and march together, turning on their arms whenever the rhyme tells them to.
Jenny Mac
Jenny Mac, Jenny Mac, Jenny Macghie,
Turn your back about to me;
And if you find an ill baubee,
Lift it up and gie't to me.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/jenny-mac/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted while marching
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Jenny Mac, Jenny Mac, Jenny Macghie | Cross your arms behind your back and hold your partner's hands. |
| Turn your back about to me | Turn round on your joined arms. |
| Lift it up and gie't to me | Bend as if picking something up from the ground. |
What Does Jenny Mac Mean?
This is a rhyme for two players. They stand side by side, cross their arms behind their backs and take hold of each other's hands, then parade along together. When the rhyme says turn your back about to me, they turn on their arms without letting go.
The last two lines tell the partner that if she finds an ill baubee, a Scots word for a bad coin, she should lift it up and give it to the other girl. It is a game of turning, walking and a bit of coordination.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme prints it in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894) and names Chambers's Popular Rhymes, page 123, as the source. The text says the girls parade along together "by daylight or moonlight".
She adds a second rhyme for the same pastime, which begins "A basket, a basket, a bonny penny basket".
Learning Activities
- Partner walk: try the arm-crossing walk with a friend, slowly at first.
- Scots words: look up what 'gie't' and 'baubee' mean in a Scots word list.
- Coin hunt: hide a few play coins for the pair to find.