Girls and boys, come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day;
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and I'll find flour,
And we'll have a pudding in half an hour.
^^^^^^^^at least 1708 < Roud Folk Song Index number of 5452>
這首童謠要追溯到英國資本積累的工業革命之前。兒童大量被要求僱傭,只有晚上才有非工作的玩耍時間。
詩歌的頭兩行在舞蹈書(1708, 1719, 1728)、諷刺詩(1709, 1725),和政治抨擊(1711)中都有提到。現存的最早童謠版本是在大約1744年在倫敦出版的的Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book,並且只有前六行。失去了後面童謠的版本更加符合歷史的真實性,Come with a good will or not at all,無論願不願意,都已經不再重要了。
(本章完)