"Where have you been all the day,
My boy Willy?"
"I've been all the day
Courting of a lady gay:
But, oh! she's too young
To be taken from her mammy."
"What work can she do,
My boy Willy?
Can she bake and can she brew,
My boy Willy?"
"She can brew and she can bake,
And she can make our wedding-cake:
But, oh! she's too young
To be taken from her mammy."
"What age may she be? What age may she be?
My boy Willy?"
"Twice two, twice seven,
Twice ten, twice eleven:
But, oh! she's too young
To be taken from her mammy."
Notes
Here's another version of this song from The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (circa 1920) edited by Walter Jerrold:
Where Have You Been All Day, My Boy Tammie?
"Where have you been all day,
My boy Tammie?"
"I've been all the day
Courting of a lady gay;
But oh, she's too young
To be taken from her mammy!"
"What work can she do,
My boy Tammie?
Can she bake and can she brew,
My boy Tammie?"
"She can brew and she can bake,
And she can make our wedding cake;
But oh, she's too young
To be taken from her mammy!"
"What age may she be?
What age may she be,
My boy Tammie?"
"Twice two, twice seven,
Twice ten, twice eleven;
But oh, she 's too young
To be taken from her mammy!"
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This song can be found in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).
