Tread, Tread the Green Grass Lyrics
Girls march in couples on the green, calling the pretty fair maids to walk along and promising to lead them across the sea.
Tread, Tread the Green Grass
Tread, tread the green grass,
Dust, dust, dust;
Come all ye pretty fair maids
And walk along with us.
If you be a fair maid,
As I suppose you be,
I'll take you by the lily-white hand
And lead you across the sea.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/tread-tread-the-green-grass/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung marching in pairs, with a stamp on each 'tread'
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Tread, tread the green grass | March in place, stamping lightly on each 'tread'. |
| Come all ye pretty fair maids | Beckon with one hand to the other dancers. |
| And lead you across the sea | Take a partner's hand and walk across the room together. |
What Does Tread, Tread the Green Grass Mean?
The song is an invitation to dance. The first four lines call everyone to tread the green grass and walk along, and the second four turn to a single partner: if you are a fair maid, I will take you by the lily-white hand and lead you across the sea. The sea is a make-believe journey, not a real one.
The odd word is dust. Newell thought it was a mistaken version of adist, an old Scottish word meaning 'this way' or 'come hither', which would make the line a call to come over.
History and Origin
William Wells Newell prints the song in Games and Songs of American Children from Philadelphia. He says that a generation earlier it was common for girls there to begin the evening dances on the green by singing it as they marched in couples.
Newell adds that it was no mere song of country people, because the children kept up a custom shared by all ranks, and compares its spirit to the carolling of ladies in Chaucer's day.
Learning Activities
- March in pairs: walk round a room in couples, stamping softly on each 'tread'.
- Green and dusty: talk about the word 'dust' and whether 'this way, this way' would fit the tune.
- Across the sea: make a pretend sea of blue cloth and walk across it hand in hand.