> This is the way the farmers ride,

Hobbledy-hoy,

Hobbledy-hoy!

This is the way the farmers ride,

Hobbledy hobbledy-hoy!



This is a famous song for a young child, the nurse dancing it on her

knee, and gradually increasing the ascent of the foot. Similar songs,

but differing considerably from the above, are given in the Swedish

nursery ballads of Arwidsson, iii. 489-91; the Danish of Thiele, iii.

130-2, iv. 176-7; and the German Wunderhorn, iii. 60-1. The following

pretty Swedish version is given from Mr. Stephens's MS. collections:



Hvem aer det som rider?

Det aer en froeken som rider:

Det gar i sakta traf,

I sakta traf!



Hvem aer det som rider?

Det aer en Herre som rider:

Det gar jo i galopp,

I galopp!



Hvem aer det som rider?

Det aer en Bonde som rider:

Det gar sa lunka pa,

Lunka pa!



And pray, who now is riding?

A lady it is that's riding:

And she goes with a gentle trot,

A gentle trot!



And pray, who now is riding?

A gentleman it is that's riding:

And he goes with a gallop-away,

A gallop-away!



And pray, who now is riding?

A farmer it is that's riding:

And he goes with a jog along,

A jog along!



There are a great number of English variations of the above song,

differing very materially from one another. A second version may be

worth giving:



Here goes my lord,

A trot! a trot! a trot! a trot!



Here goes my lady,

A canter! a canter! a canter! a canter!



Here goes my young master,

Jockey-hitch! jockey-hitch! jockey-hitch! jockey-hitch!



Here goes my young miss,

An amble! an amble! an amble! an amble!



The footman lags behind to tipple ale and wine,

And goes gallop, a gallop, a gallop, to make up his time.



Here are other knee-songs:



Little Shon a Morgan,

Shentleman of Wales,

Came riding on a nanny-goat,

Selling of pigs' tails.



Chicky, cuckoo, my little duck,

See-saw, sickna downy;

Gallop a trot, trot, trot,

And hey for Dublin towny!