Here are some additional versions of & comments about the children's rhyme/song "My Mother Said Not To Play With The Gypsies In The Woods" from this blog:

http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?7,153869,154316
Lost Poetry Quotations


janette; Date: November 04, 2004

ok heres a poem thats from turn of the centuary, i know the whole thing my heart but i can't find the name of ir or who wrote it:
"My mother said never to play with the gypsies in the woods, and if i did she would say naughty girl to disobey Your hair chant curl your shoes chant shine you naughty girl you chant be mine my father said that if i did he would bang my head with a tea pot lid"
Theres more to it but thats the whole first part, i would really appreciate it if ne one could give me ideas, or where i could look to find information on it!

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Re: My mother said never to play with the gypsies
Posted by: marian2; Date: November 04, 2004

The lines Janette quoted were chanted in one of those schoolgirls games where you clap hands with another girl, crossing your wrists etc, which we played when I was at school in the late 1960s. I may have been taught it by my mother, can't remember for sure.


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Re: My Mother Said Never Play With Gipsies
Posted by: ilza ; Date: November 04, 2004

My Mother said, I never should Play with the gipsies in the wood; If I did, she would say, You naughty girl to disobey. Your hair shan't curl and your shoes shan't shine, You gipsy girl, you shan't be mine. And my father said that if I did He'd rap my head with the teapot-lid. The wood was dark, the grass was green Along came Sally with a tambourine. I went to sea - no ship to get across, I paid ten shillings for a blind white horse. I up on his back And was off on a crack, Sally tell my mother that I shan't come back.

the only reference I could find so far was this one, from December 12, 1976 Times Herald Record

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Re: My Mother Said Never Play With Gipsies
Posted by: Andy; Date: November 30, 2004

All of the above, but I remember my mother teaching my sister an additional part:
"Disobey one, Disobey two, Disobey over Waterloo"

Re: My mother said never to play with the gypsies
Posted by: Linda; Date: December 03, 2004

The Puffin Book of Verse, Eleanor Graham (ed), 1953, has the poem much as you give it and credit it to Anon.

The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes, Iona & Peter Opie, 1963 has a different version.

My Mother said that I never should Play with the gipsies in the wood; If I did, she would say, Naughty girl to disobey, Disobey, disobey. Naughty girl to disobey.
I have a bonnet trimmed with blue. Why don't you wear it? So I do. When do you wear it? When I can, Walking to chuech with my young man.
My young man has gone to France To teach the ladies how to dance. When he comes back he'll marry me, Give me kisses, One, Two, Three.
Marry you! No such thing! Yes, indeed, he bought me a ring; Bought me a biscuit, bought me a tart. What do you think of my sweetheart?