When was the nursery rhyme 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' written?
It is unknown who write the nursery rhyme 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' but it was first recorded by nursery rhyme collector James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-nineteenth century. It is thought there were some other verses as well, including 'This is the way we wash our clothes' and 'This is the way we dry our clothes'.
Like the nursery rhyme 'Oranges and lemons' the song 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' is also a singing game
What is the meaning of 'Here we go round the mulberry bush'?
The meaning of the song are much debated with one theory linking the origins of 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' to HMP Wakefield, where female prisoners exercised around a mulberry tree in the moonlight. Another theory is it refers to Britain's attempts to produce silk in the 18th and 19th centuries. Mulberry trees are a key habitat for the cultivation of silkworms, however the trees proved totally unsuitable for the cold British winters.
What are the lyrics to 'Here we go round the mulberry bush'?
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.
This is the way we wash our face,
Wash our face,
Wash our face.
This is the way we wash our face
On a cold and frosty morning.
This is the way we comb our hair,
Comb our hair,
Comb our hair.
This is the way we comb our hair
On a cold and frosty morning.
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth.
This is the way we brush our teeth
On a cold and frosty morning.
This is the way we put on our clothes,
Put on our clothes,
Put on our clothes.
This is the way we put on our clothes
On a cold and frosty morning.
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.