Oranges and Lemons
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- This article is about the nursery rhyme. There is also an article about the album Oranges and Lemons.
Oranges and Lemons is an English nursery rhyme which refers to the bells of several churches, all within or close to the City of London. In its common version, the lyrics refer to, in turn, St Clement Eastcheap, St Martin Orgar (http://www.cityoflondonchurches.com/stmartinorgar.htm), St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, St Leonard's Shoreditch, St Dunstan's, Stepney, and St Mary-le-Bow. Some claim that the St. Clement's mentioned is actually St Clement Danes. [1] (http://www.coventgarden.uk.com/stclem9.html)
The nursery rhyme figures in Nineteen Eighty-Four as a symbol of forgotten and forbidden knowledge.
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Common lyrics
The most common lyrics are as follows:
- "Oranges and Lemons" say the bells of St. Clements.
- "You owe me five farthings" say the bells of St. Martins.
- "When will you pay me" say the bells of Old Bailey.
- "When I grow rich" say the bells of Shoreditch.
- "When will that be" say the bells of Stepney.
- "I do not know" says the great Bell of Bow.
Party game
The song is used in a children's party game with the same name, in which the players file, in pairs, through an arch made by two of them, who join both hands. A two (or three lines) are added at the end:
- Here comes a candle to light you to bed.
- Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
- (Chip chop, chip chop, the last man's dead.)
On the last word, the children forming the arch lower their hands to catch the pair of children currently passing through, who are then "out" and have to link on behind the children forming the arch, one to each side - so the arch gets bigger and the players have to run faster to get round it. The game works best with a pianist to play the tune, so that unpredictable changes of tempo can be introduced.
Alternative lyrics
A less well known version of Oranges and Lemons includes a number of other London churches:
- Gay go up and gay go down, to ring the bells of London town.
- "Oranges and Lemons" say the bells of St. Clements.
- "Bull's eyes and targets" say the bells of St. Margaret's.
- "Brickbats and tiles" say the bells of St. Giles'.
- "Halfpence and farthings" say the bells of St. Martin's.
- "Pancakes and fritters" say the bells of St. Peter's.
- "Two sticks and an apple" say the bells of Whitechapel.
- "Pokers and tongs" say the bells of St. John's.
- "Kettles and pans" say the bells of St. Ann's.
- "Old Father Baldpate" say the slow bells of Aldgate.
- "You owe me ten shillings" say the bells of St. Helen's
- "When will you pay me?" say the bells of Old Bailey.
- "When I grow rich" say the bells of Shoreditch.
- "Pray when will that be?" say the bells of Stepney.
- "I do not know" say the great bell of Bow.
- Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
- Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
- Chip chop, chip chop, the last man's dead.
Origins
The origins of Oranges and Lemons are not well known, but are thought to date to at least the 17th or 18th century. Some believe that it may be a reference to when King Charles I was beheaded and all the church bells rang to mark his execution. The final lines in the children's party game may refer to capital punishment[2] (http://www.rhymes.org.uk/oranges_and_lemons.htm).
See Also
External link
A BBC piece on the rhyme (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A696125)