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kid traditions like this are alive & well in places like Jamaica, I think. it's a cultural thing, so vanishing must be due to (cross-)cultural factors. we sang some songs at assembly every morning in England, primary & secondary. in middle school (I was only there for a while) things got more serious. I don't remember it much, but Iloved that old building. KS On 09/11/2007, Max Richards <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > At school (near Wellington NZ) in 1949 we boys and girls sang: > > 'Twas on a Monday morning > When I beheld my darling, > She looked so neat and charming > In ev'ry high degree. > She looked so neat and nimble, O, > A-washing of her linen, O, > Dashing away with the smoothing iron, > Dashing away with the smoothing iron, > She stole my heart away. > > 'Twas on a Tuesday morning > When I beheld my darling, > She looked so neat and charming > In ev'ry high degree. > She looked so neat and nimble, O, > A-hanging out her linen, O > Dashing away with the smoothing iron, > She stole my heart away. > > 'Twas on a Wednesday morning . . > A-starching of her linen . . . . > > 'Twas on a Thursday morning . . . . > A-ironing of her linen . . . . > > 'Twas on a Friday morning . . . . > A-folding of her linen . . . . > > 'Twas on a Saturday morning . . . . > A-airing of her linen . . . . > > 'Twas on a Sunday morning . . . . > When I beheld my darling, > She looked so neat and charming > In ev'ry high degree. > She looked so neat and nimble, O, > A-wearing of her linen, O, > Dashing away with the smoothing iron, > Dashing away with the smoothing iron, > She stole my heart away. > > > One website says it's from Somerset. > I was doing my ironing, and my darling wife's just now, > singing to myself... > (But who wears linen?) > We also sang 'Barbara Allen', and > 'Early one morning just as the sun was rising > I heard a maiden singing in the valley below, > Who'll buy my lavender, sweet scented lavender, > Lavender three pennies a ...something... come buy. > > I wonder how widespread such song-singing was, and when it vanished... > > Max, now in Melbourne >