|
Seesaw Marjorie
Daw
Johnny shall have a new master
He shall earn but a penny a day
Because he can't work any faster
Origins
and history in a game for children
A see-saw is one of the oldest 'toys' for children , easily
constructed from logs of various sizes. The words of the nursery
rhyme reflect children playing on a see-saw and often singing this
rhyme to accompany their game. There was no such person that we
can identify who had the name Margery Daw and we therefore make
the assumption that this was purely used to rhyme with the words
'see-saw'. The last three lines appear to reflect the use of child
labour in work houses where those with no where else to live would
be forced to work for a pittance (a penny a day) on piece work
(because he can't work any faster) |
