Bluegrass Messengers

There Stands a Lady (Keys)- 1909 (Sur) Gillington

[From Gillington's "Old Surrey Singing Games and Skipping Rope Rhymes," 1909.

R. Matteson 2017]


"There Stands a Lady" (The Keys of Heaven)

There stands a lady on the mountain,
All she wants such a nice young man!

Madam, will you walk it?
Madam, will you talk it?
Madam, will you marry me? [No!]

Not if I buy you a silver spoon,
To feed the baby ev'ry afternoon?
Madam, will you walk it?
Madam, will you talk it?
Madam, will you marry me? [No!]

Not if I buy you a white straw hat,
with three yards of ribbon hanging down your back?
Madam, will you walk it?
Madam, will you talk it?
Madam, will you marry me? [No!]


Not if I buy you a nice arm chair,
To rest and rock the baby there?
Madam, will you walk it?
Madam, will you talk it?
Madam, will you marry me? [No!]

Not if I buy you the Keys of Heaven,
To let yourself in at half-past seven?
Madam, will you walk it?
Madam, will you talk it?
Madam, will you marry me? [Yes! Come along dear!]

Girl pulls one of the others into the ring with her, then runs back to join hands with the rest. This continues till every child has been inside the ring.