"On A Mountain Stands A Lady" (Part II- A Facebook Post About A 2012 Isle Of Man Version With Multiple Comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is the Part II of a series of pancocojams posts about the children's singing game and recreational rhyme entitled "On The Mountain stands A Lady" (and similar titles).

This post presents a 2025 Facebook post about a 2012 Isle of Man sound file by Violet Corlett of "On The Mountain Stands A Lady". Some comments from that post's discussion thread are also included in this pancocojams post. These comments include memories of that skipping rhyme mostly from the 1940s - 1970s with one commenter sharing her memory of singing this rhyme while skipping rope in the 1980s. 

The Addendum to this post provides a general list of the locations that the selected commenters gave for where they lived when they sang this rhyme.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-history-of-on-mountain-stands-lady.html  for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents an excerpt about this singing game and rhyme from two bluegrassmessanger.com website. The second website indicates that the earliest documented example of "On The Mountain stands A Lady" is from 1846 with some sources for that song dating from 18th century Britain. 

Links to subsequent pancocojams posts about "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" will be added in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the  Violet Corlett, the singer of this 2012 example of "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" whose recording is showcased in this Facebook post. Thanks also to culturevannin for publishing that showcased sound file of Isle of Man example of "On A Mountain Stands A Lady". Thanks also to all the commenters who shared their memories of "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" in that Facebook post's discussion thread.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
 This post departs from this pancocojams blog's mission of showcasing the music, dances, language practices, & customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world.

While some singing games and recreational rhymes that are showcased on pancocojams have been documented to come from Black Americans or from other Black people, all of the examples from those folk genres-such as "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" did not come from those populations.

These examples of and information about "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" are showcased on pancocojams because I'm interested in and like these genres of folk culture. Also, I like learning about the history of songs and rhymes and discovering how some elements of old songs and rhymes are retained in "new" songs and rhymes.

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FACEBOOK POST ABOUT "ON A MOUNTAIN STANDS A LADY"
From https://www.facebook.com/culturevannin/videos/on-a-mountain-stands-a-lady/810912307976280/

Culture Vannin, October 6, 2025
"A skipping rhyme sung in Douglas in the 1930s.

This is from a wonderful recording of Violet Corlett in 2012 which has just been released online.

The c.20-minute recording is of rhymes, songs and skipping songs she remembered from her childhood, along with a large number of her own wonderful limericks.

It is, surely, one of the most joyful recordings you will hear today!

[...]

We found this amongst some old files here (along with the appropriate permission forms), and we are delighted to be able to share it online for the first time.

We do not have the contact for the family to let them know that it is available, but we hope that someone will be able to tag them here or otherwise contact them.

The image is one of Mrs Corlett's own photographs: 'Group of Cronkbourne Village children outside one of the houses in Cronkbourne Village, Braddan. Date unknown.'

[…]

Lyrics:

On the mountain stands a lady
Who she is I do not know
All she wants is silver and gold
All she wants is a nice young man
So fall in and follow me
Follow me, follow me
So fall in and follow me
[repeats song from the beginning]
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's note:
This Facebook page includes a .23 second sound file of this skipping song.
-snip-
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man
"The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin [ˈmanɪnʲ], also Ellan Vannin [ˈɛlʲan ˈvanɪnʲ]), or simply Mann (/mæn/ man),[12] is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defence and represents it abroad, but the Isle of Man still has a separate international identity.[13]"
-snip-
Douglas is the capital of the Isles of Man and Cronkbourne Village is located on the Isle of Man, 

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS FACEBOOK POST

Pancocojams Editor's Notes:
As of May 3, 2026 there were 328 comments in the discussion thread for this 2025 facebook post. All of the comments are from October 2025.

These selected comments are numbered for referencing purposes only.  

These comments are given without explanations except for the following information:

- The Live Birds https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063924/ 
"[British] Television Series; Comedy 1969-1996

The lives and loves of Beryl Hennessey and Sandra Hutchinson, two young, single women sharing a flat in Liverpool."

**
-Frankenstein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein%27s_monster
"Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein,[a] is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's creator, Victor Frankenstein, who later became the monster's namesake, to the mythological character Prometheus, who fashioned humans out of clay and gave them fire."...

**
-Pansy Potter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansy_Potter
"Pansy Potter is a British comic strip character from the magazine The Beano. She first appeared in -Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter issue 21 in 1938, and was first illustrated by Hugh McNeill."...

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1. Eunice Hurst
"Sang this playing rope two turned the others waited in line you jumped and sang the called in a friend to join you jumping whe rhyme started again you left her to. Choose the next one to join in

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2. Alma Lewis
"I remember singing this in the 1940s . On a Sunday afternoon , dads and mums would join the children in the middle of the road( no cars in those days) and the dads would take turns of turning the clothesline skipping rope while the mums joined the children in skipping"

**
3. Judy James
"We sang on the hilltop stands a lady etc. It was for calling someone in to skip with you. And ended up : so come in my (name) dear. I love you." 

**
4. Bryn Jones
"Sang it in Liverpool in the 1950's."

**
5. Anne Shields
"We used to play that also the tune was the theme from the liverbirds"

**
6. Elsa Nutt
"Haven’t heard that for decades in Orkney in the 1950’s and in Dundee in the early 1970’s in my first teaching job."

**
7. Maggie Worsfold
"We sang this in my primary school in Hammersmith West London in the late 50 's. We would call in girls by name until the long skipping rope was full. What a shame all the playground games we played have gone, mostly because of Health and Safety"

**
8. Polly Bryan
"This was the theme tune to the Liver Birds, a sitcom from the 60s, starring Nerys Hughes and Polly? later Elizabet Estenson. It was a well known skipping song in the 50s and 60s. We used to skip to it in York in the 60s."

**
9. Barbara Haynes
"And in the 50s London playgrounds too."

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10. Lindsay Simmons
"Sang this in Cheshire in the 60's"

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11. Winifred Fisher
"I sang this along with so many songs we sang as we played go back to the early 50s I am now 87 and can recall so many."

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12. Sara Bottomley
"We skipped to this in the 1970s in Kent!"

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13. Sybil Patterson
"I sang this while skipping in the 1940s great memories x🤣🤣🤣"

**
14. Lelly Sue Hirst
"In Liverpool the first half was the same but we used to sing 'So call in my (name) dear..... while I go out to play'. The skipper would jump out and the called person would jump out."

**
15. Ann Elizabeth Bowen
"Not just in Douglas. I remember singing this in the 1950s in Dudley, west Midlands (then Worcestershire). After 'All she wants is a nice young man' the rope speeded up and everyone shouted the names of boys. The name shouted as you caught the rope on your feet was supposed to be the one you'd end up marrying!"

**
16. Bernadette Derry
"Pauline RaffertyI wonder where it originated. It is/was the same song with very minor differences sung all over the place. A “top ten hit “ "

**
17. Myfanwy Evans
"Bernadette Derry I wonder if the “evacuation” system during the war helped spread the songs and games?"

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18. Bernadette Derry
"Quite likely I would think. I’d never thought of that."

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19. Diane Waugh
"'On a mountain stands a castle, and it's owner Frankenstein.

And his daughter Suzy Potter, she's my own true valentine'

Sung at school in south West Scotland, can't remember what the rest we had was"

**
20. Jessie Ronald
"Diane Waugh We used to sing on a mountain stands a castle,and the owner Frankenstein.And his daughter Pansy Potter, she's my only Valentine. So I call in ( use a friend's name who is next in line to jump in with the skipping ropes like Mary dear Mary dear so I call Mary Dear as I go out to play. You then jump out and she jumps in and takes your place."

**
21. Helen Cutler
'"We sang this in South Wales as a skipping rhyme. Different ending , but can't remember it."

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22. Cheryl Trowbridge Sharpe
"I remember singing that while skipping. Slightly different ending - instead of follow me we sang ' so call in my (name) dear' and another girl would join you in the rope. Another one was vote, vote, vote because of (name), call in (someone else) at the you in the rope. Another one was vote, vote, vote because of (name), call in (someone else) at the door, for, (someone else) is the lady who is going to have a baby and we won't vote for (name) any more, shut the door."

**
23. Ceinwen Howells
"We sang this is South Wales back in 1950 skipping in the street with friends On a mountain stood a lady who she is I don't know, I will court her for her beauty, she will answer yes or no, Oh no Sir No Sir No, not thought of this over 70 years ago, just like yesterday happy times"

**
24. Mary Holland
"We sang it on the streets of Glasgow early 1960's"

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25. Margaret Macdonald
""Sang this in the Scottish Borders in 40s/50s!!"

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26. Lynda Haynes
"And in Southampton 50's and early 60s in junior school. We did it with long rope 2 people holding it. Someone had to jump in with you, do the verse and then you would jump out and that person would carry on. Just like a round."

**
27. Lorraine Pannett
"On the hill there stands a lady/Who she is I do not know/ I will court her for her beauty/ She must answer yes or no.’ This is the version I remember from the Birmingham suburbs in the 1950s"

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28. Pearl Watson
"On the mountain stands a castle

And the owner Frankenstein

And his daughter Pansy Potter

Is my only valentine

Wonder who told me this was the words when I was wee 😂😂😂"

**
29. Myfanwy Evans
"Pearl Watson somone else sent in those words further up this thread"

**
30. Gail Sinclair
"Sang this in the playground of my Canadian school in the 50s/60s."

**
31. Patricia Meakin
"We sang this, as a skipping song..one skipping..at the end part.. 'So Call in my very best friend, my very best friend, do call I'm my very best friend..(name)..while I go out and play.(jump out of the rope)."

**
32.  Paula Meadows
"I remember this from my childhood but the ending was slightly different it was - and I will be your leader x"

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33. Kate Michelle
"Also sung in Liverpool/Wiral at least as early as the 70s ! Theme tune to The Liver Birds series, same era 😀"

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34. Valerie Haslett
"I’m 81….this was sung in Preston too"

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35. Jac Kay
"Think we sang ‘on a mountain stands a castle’"

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36. Lesley Bailey
"All she wants is a nice young beau". Young man doesn't rhyme."

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37. Mairead Kerwin
"remembers some of our skipping rhymes but ours all had 'how many ... did she get or have or the like and we skipped very quickly to boast about how many skips we could do. 😅"

**
38.Carol Porch Matthews
"I sang that when skipping with a rope your friend would try to join you as you skipped not all could do it l lived in Cardiff"

**
39. Collette O'Hanlon
"We sang similar to this in Belfast, Ireland, same tune 🎶" 

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40.  Anne Quigley
"Early 1960, County Wexford, Ireland"

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41. Lynn James
"And the 70s, we were still singing it"

**
42.  Jenni B-l
"We sang this in Hampshire in the 1980s"

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41. Christine O'Toole Jackson
"Manchester,

Ends ‘Oh, no John, no John, no John no…’"

**
42. Kate Butterworth
"Yes - it's a Manxified version of the old English folk song "Oh, no John" (the first line of which is "On yonder hill there stands a creature/maiden...")"

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43. Susan Mileson
"🎼 This is So Lovely, and Was Also a Popular Ditty in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sang by Legions of Geordie Kids from around the 50's, Wonderful History! 👏"

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44. Lynne Karran
"Good memories, skipped to this in Chemainus, B.C."

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45. Kathy Taylor
"We sang this at Onchan Primary in the late 60’s early 70’s. The melody is the same as the theme tune to the “Liver Birds” TV series.

https://youtu.be/5VFYuOJJdjE?si=yscrGgomgjSX4rtq "

**
46. Anne K Kennedy Truscott
"A version of this skipping rhyme was sung in Newcastlewest in Co.Limerick in the 1950’s when I was a child. “There is a lady from the mountain. Who is she I cannot tell. All she wants is gold and silver and a nice young man as well. So hop in and follow me, etc., etc.”

❤️❤️☘️"

**
47. Judith Sharrock
"Sung in Liverpool"

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48. Margaret Gahan
"Judith Sharrock

So call in my very best friend, very best friend, very best friend,

So call in my very best friend while I go out to play.

So you would exit from skipping and next kid jumps in

Liverpool late 50’s early 60’s🥰"

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49. Carol Coils
"We sang this while skipping in 1970 Durham xxx"

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50. Barbara Craig
"We played this in Glasgow in the 1960,s Instead of “Fall in and follow me…. “ we sang. “So I call in Maggie dear,( or whoever’s name you chose from the ring.)"

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ADDENDUM- LOCATIONS THAT WERE GIVEN FOR THIS RHYME/SONG IN THIS COMPILATION OF 2025 FACEBOOK COMMENTS
Commenters indicated that they remember "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" (or other similar titles) from their childhood in these locations:
(given in no particular order)
-Isle of Man
-England
-Ireland
-Scotland
-Wales
-Canada
-snip-
Please add any nation that is given in this compilation that I failed to include in this list. Thanks!
 
I'm curious if anyone from the United States remembers singing "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" while jumping rope or otherwise. (I don't remember it, but I remember the "Oh No John" folk song that two people in this compilation commented became associated with a version of this rhyme.)

Please share if you remember "On A Mountain Stands A Lady". Remember to include where (what location) and when (year or date). Information about whether this was a skipping (jump rope rhyme) or another type of children's recreational rhyme or singing game will be helpful for the folkloric record. Thanks in advance!    

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

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