Monday Quote

Merry Are The Bells

Nursery Song

Merry are the bells, and merry would they ring;

Merry was myself, and merry could I sing;

With a merry ding-dong, happy, gay, and free,

And a merry sing-song, happy let us be!

Waddle goes your gait, and hollow are your hose;

Noddle goes your pate, and purple is your nose;

Merry is your sing-song, happy, gay, and free,

With a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!

Merry have we met, and merry have we been;

Merry let us part, and merry meet again;

With our merry sing-song, happy, gay, and free,

And a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!

This song and illustration can be found in The Nursery Rhyme Book,

edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).

This charming little nursery rhyme was used to great effect by

Baby Bear in her VCE drama presentation for Semester One.

They had to work in groups of four and produce something about

alienation and isolation. At two points during the

30 minute performance the four of them said one line each of the

last verse, in deadpan voices with deadpan faces.

It was her idea and it worked brilliantly.

There was nothing jolly or merry about it at all!