Percy B. Green wrote in his book "A History of Nursery Rhymes" (1899):
In New York the children have a common saying when making a swap or change of one toy for another, and no bargain is supposed to be concluded between boys and girls unless they interlock fingers - the little finger on the right hand - and repeat the following doggerel:
Pinky, Pinky Bow-bell
Nursery Rhyme
Pinky, pinky bow-bell,
Whoever tells a lie
Will sink down to the bad place,
And never rise up again.
Notes
Of course if you think of the rhymes here at the end of the lines, there are secret endings that you can put in yourself in your head!
Comments
We'd love to know if anyone remembers reciting this one. Please email me, if you remember this rhyme. -Mama Lisa
