I was interested to read how this rhyme is played as I have never read about any actions associated with it.

I was particularly interested in the memories that Tradsinger had of reciting this rhyme "with a chorus of "down, down, down, the Muffin Man", when the singer crouched as low as he/she could, and then "Up, up,up, the Muffin Man" when they drew themselves back to their full height".

I've never heard of that chorus before but I love it..I intend to add this song with that chorus in my sessions with pre-school children!
Thanks Tradsinger!   

From my rhyme collecting in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania and elsewhere,
and from reading the Opie books, I've found that some updated versions of very old rhymes have been completely cut off from any accompanying actions. In a number of instances, children sing rhymes as back of the bus sing-along songs and have no knowledge that any movements whatsoever were ever done to those songs.

Here's one more random comment regarding this topic, in these times of extreme caution associated with 'good touch and bad touch' of children, it is probably unlikely that camp leaders would teach children to play this 'game' the way that Les in Chorlton remembered playing it:

"The second person would grab the first around the waist and they would dance around sining 'we've all seen the Muffin Man...........".

This is another example of how changes in social norms impact how children's games are played.