The Town Lovers Lyrics
The player in the middle of a ring points to each named player in turn, and on the last line the player picked has to run away and try not to be caught.
The Town Lovers
There is a girl of our town,
She often wears a flowered gown:
Tommy loves her night and day,
And Richard when he may,
And Johnny when he can:
I think Sam will be the man!
More verses from the original
There is a girl of our town,
She often wears a flowered gown:
Tommy loves her night and day,
And Richard when he may,
And Johnny when he can:
I think Sam will be the man!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/town-lovers/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Spoken ring game
- Best for ages
- 5 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| There is a girl of our town | Point to the child in the middle. |
| I think Sam will be the man! | Point to the last child named, who then runs. |
What Does The Town Lovers Mean?
This is a naming and chasing game. The child in the middle says the rhyme and points at each person whose name is put into the lines. The words are about a girl in the town who wears a flowered gown, and a list of boys who admire her. A tease runs through it: by the last line the speaker "thinks" it will be Sam, and Sam has to dash away before he is caught.
You can change the names to those of the children playing, and you can change the words "loves her" to "likes her" if you want it to be about friends. The thrill is in waiting to see whose name comes last.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints it in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849) and describes how it is played: a girl stands in the ring and says the lines, altering the names to suit the party, and at the last line the person chosen runs away. If she catches him, he pays a forfeit or the game starts again.
Halliwell adds that the game can also be played the other way round, with a boy in the middle. A forfeit is a small penalty, such as singing a song or doing a silly trick.
Learning Activities
- Name swap: put your group's names into the lines and play a round.
- Forfeit ideas: make a list of harmless forfeits, such as hopping on one foot.
- Chase rules: agree a safe running area before the game starts.