Here I Go Round the Rules of Contrary Lyrics
Say one thing, do the opposite. The leader calls hold fast or leave go, and the whole ring has to do the reverse.
Here I Go Round the Rules of Contrary
Here I go round the rules of contrary,
Hopping about like a little canary.
When I say "Hold fast," leave go;
When I say "Leave go," hold fast.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-rules-of-contrary/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted, walking round a ring
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Here I go round the rules of contrary | Walk round the ring, each holding a corner of a handkerchief. |
| Hopping about like a little canary | Hop on one foot, flapping your arms. |
| When I say "Hold fast," leave go | Let go of the handkerchief. |
| When I say "Leave go," hold fast | Grip tight! |
What Does Here I Go Round the Rules of Contrary Mean?
All the trick is in the last two lines. When the leader says hold fast, meaning grip tightly, everyone must let go, and when the leader says leave go, everyone must hold on. The rules of contrary are the rules of opposites, the same word that sits in Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. It is a listening game, because the words and the hands are told to disagree.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme describes the game in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1894), with one rhyme from Cornwall and a London version. A ring of children each hold a corner of a handkerchief, the leader in the middle says the verse and then calls one of the two orders, and everyone who gets it wrong pays a forfeit, a small silly task. In Berkshire the game was called Hawld Hard.
Learning Activities
- Play it: use a scarf, a sheet or a play parachute with every child holding an edge.
- Drop it together: when everyone lets go at the same moment, the handkerchief should fall to the ground all at once.
- Forfeits: a wrong move earns a harmless forfeit such as hopping twice or singing the first line of a song.