Look Upon the Mantle-piece
Look upon the mantle-piece, / There you’ll find a ball of grease…
Look upon the mantle-piece,
There you’ll find a ball of grease,
Shining like a threepenny-piece--
Out goes she!
Where this rhyme comes from
- Printed
- 1916
- Where
- London
We have copied these words exactly as they were printed in 1916, spelling and all. It is one of the London girls' chants Douglas lists alongside their skipping, clapping and ring games.
A threepenny piece was a small silver coin.
Source: Norman Douglas, London Street Games (London: The St. Catherine Press, 1916) (public domain).
More rhymes like this
Out goes youPrinted 1916Monday Night, Band of HopeMonday night, Band of Hope,
Tuesday night, pull the rope…Out goes youPrinted 1916Mother Got the Hooping CoughMother got the Hooping cough
Father got the gout…Out goes youPrinted 1916Penny on the WaterPenny on the water, tuppence on the sea,
Threepence on the railway--out goes she…Out goes youDrip, DropDrip, drop, drip, drop
Down by the sea…Out goes youBake a PuddingBake a pudding,
Bake a pie…Out goes youby 1904As I Was Walking by the LakeAs I was walking by the lake
I saw a little rattlesnake…
Tuesday night, pull the rope…Out goes youPrinted 1916Mother Got the Hooping CoughMother got the Hooping cough
Father got the gout…Out goes youPrinted 1916Penny on the WaterPenny on the water, tuppence on the sea,
Threepence on the railway--out goes she…Out goes youDrip, DropDrip, drop, drip, drop
Down by the sea…Out goes youBake a PuddingBake a pudding,
Bake a pie…Out goes youby 1904As I Was Walking by the LakeAs I was walking by the lake
I saw a little rattlesnake…
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