Poor Mary Sat A Weeping


Poor Mary sat a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,
Poor Mary sat a-weeping on a bright summer’s day.
On this carpet she shall kneel
Till the grass grows in the field
Stand up, stand up upon your feet
And choose the one you love so sweet.

At this point of the song the child in the middle grasps
another child from the circle, which becomes Mary's
husband. The also join hands and dance in the opposite
direction as the circle dances and all sing:

Now you are married, you must be good
And help your wife to chop the wood
Chop, chop, chop!


Poor Mary is a nursery and dancing game for children in a
group. One child of the group is chosen to be "Mary" and
has to kneel in the middle of a circle with the head in
its hands. The other children join their hands and walk
around the other child singing the song: