Examples Of "Old Motther Grey" Children's Chasing Game (From England, The Caribbean, & The United States)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents the complete reprint (three comments as of August 10, 2026) of the  discussion thread that I started in May 2005 on the online Mudcat Folk Music Forum about the English language children's chasing game "Old Mother Gray". That game is also called  "Old Mother Grey" and similar titles.

This post also presents an AI Overview of the "Old Mother Grey" game that is the result of my query on August 10, 2026.

In addition, this pancocojams post presents the complete reprint of a  kodalycollection.org page about the game  "Old Mother Gray".

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown creators of these rhymes and games. Thanks to the collectors of this game and thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.
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Click these links for closely related pancocojams posts:

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/08/information-examples-of-old-witch-game.html "Information & Examples Of The "Old Witch Game" From William Wells Newell's 1884 Collection Of American Children's Songs And Rhymes"

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https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/connections-between-british-caribbean.html for the closely related 2017 pancocojams post entitled "Examples Of "What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?", "I'm Going Downtown To Smoke My Pipe", & "Children Children" (Where Are You Going?) Games"

**
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/12/chickama-chickama-craney-crow-singing.html for the closely related 2023 pancocojams post entitled "Chickama, Chickama Craney Crow" singing & chasing games (information, lyrics, & play instructions)".

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A REPRINT OF MUDCAT DISCUSSION THREAD ABOUT "OLD MOTHER GREY" CHASING GAME (May 9, 2005 -August 9, 2026) 

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81014&messages=3

Subject: ADD: Game song: Old Mother Grey

From: Azizi

Date: 09 May 05 - 10:17 AM

"In my research on continuity and change in children's rhymes I learned about this very old British children's game song:

 

OLD MOTHER GREY

 

Old Mother Grey, may we go out to play?

Mother Gray: 'No, it's raining'.

Children: "No, it isn't, the sun is shining

Mother Grey: "All right, you may go out to play'.

 

[The children rush off, and play around, perhaps moving out of sight.]

 

Old Mother Grey calls: "Children, it's dinner time!"

Children: 'Coming mother.'

Mother: 'Where have you been?'

Children: 'We've been to London to see the Queen.'

Mother: 'What did she give you?'

Children: 'A loaf of bread as big our head, a piece if cheese as big as our knees, a lump of jelly as big as our belly, and a teeny weeny six pence."

Mother: "Where's my share?

Children: 'Up in the air.'

Mother; 'How shall I get it?'

Children; 'Stand on a chair.

Mother; 'And if I fall?'

Children all laugh and shout out: "We don't care."

 

[Old Mother Grey runs after them, and whoever she catches becomes the next 'Mother'.]

 

Source: Source: Iona and Peter Opie: "Children's Games in Street and Playground"; [Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1969; pp. 307-308

 -snip-

Here's a variant from the Caribbean:

WE DON'T CARE

Children, children

Yes, Mama.                

Where yo' been to?

Granmama.

What she give yo'?

Two apples.

Where yo' put them?

On the shelf.

How will yo' get them?

Stand on a chair.

 

[As the "children" answer "Mama" they creep closer and closer to her until finally "Mama" turns and chases them"].

Source: Grace Hallworth: "Down By The River: Afro-Caribbean Rhymes, Games and Songs for Children" [New York Scholastic Inc, 1996]

 -snip-

I also have heard this variant from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania {1998}:

CHILDREN CHILDREN

Children, Children

Yes, Teacher.

Where have you been?

To Grandmom's.

What did she give you?

Bread and cheese.

Where's my share?

Up in the air.

How can I reach it?

Stand on the chair.

Suppose I fall?

We don't care.

Ha, Ha, Ha. Class is dismissed.

London Bridge is falling down,    {Sing the "London Bridge" tune}alling down falling down,

London Bridge is falling down.

 

Back to detention. {Teacher's voice}

-snip-

And two days ago I found a variant of this rhyme called "Club Fist" in a book that Hallowfox sent me {Thanks, Hallowfox}!!

CLUB FOOT

Call:                What you got there?

Response        Club fist

Call                Where's my share?

Response        Rat's got it.

Call                Where's the rat?

Response        Cat's got it.

Call                Where's the cat?

Response        Rope hung him.

Call                Where's the rope?

Response        Fire burnt it.

Call                Where's the fire?

Response        Water quenched it.

Call                Where's the water

Response        Ox drunk it.

Call                Where's the ox?

Response        Dead and buried by the old church steeple,

                      And whoever cracks a smile will get a hard pinch

 

[anyone who laughs gets pinched]

 

Source: "Did You Feed My Cow?", Margaret Taylor Burroughs

-snip-

I'm wondering if any of these game songs are familiar to anyone or if you know of any game songs that are similar to them.

Thanks."
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August 10, 2026- Read my recollections in the comment section of this pancocojams post about the "We Don't Care" example of this game that I heard in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1998.  

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Subject: RE: Game song: Old Mother Grey

From: GUEST

Date: 09 Aug 26 - 09:44 AM

"Grandma Gray, can we go out to play know my children, not today, we won't get our clothes dirty, take 3 little legs and go to play my children, my children. I call you, we can't hear you my children, my children, I call you. We can if I get my coat, Will you come? No, if I get my hat with you, come no, if I get my switch, Will you come no"

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Subject: RE: Game song: Old Mother Grey

From: Robert B. Waltz

Date: 09 Aug 26 - 11:11 AM

"Roud #12730. Often "Granny Gray" or "Grandmother Gray"; sometimes "Mother May I Go Out to Play." Known from all parts of the British Isles, Ireland, and the United States. The Ballad Index titles is "Grandmother Gray," but the TBI has nothing on this song beyond what is in the Roud Index.

https://kodalycollection.org/song.cfm?id=1237&title=Old%20Mother%20Gray"

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AI Overview

" "Old Mother Grey" (sometimes spelled Gray) is an old traditional British children's playground game and dialogue song where children ask to go out to play, return from "London to see the Queen," share a rhyming exchange about dinner time, and end with a tag game chase.

How the Game is Played

The Request: Children ask, "Old Mother Grey, may we go out to play?"

The Weather Debate: Mother Grey says it is raining; the children claim the sun is shining until she lets them go.

Dinner Time: Mother Grey calls out that it is dinner time.

The Dialogue: Children recite a cumulative rhyming dialogue ("We've been to London to see the Queen..." giving absurd sizes of bread, cheese, and jelly).

The Chase: When Mother Grey asks for her share ("Up in the air... stand on a chair"), the children yell "We don't care!" and run. Mother Grey chases them, and whoever she catches becomes the next "Mother".

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REPRINT FROM KODALY COLLECTION ORG. SONG "OLD MOTHER GRAY" 

https://kodalycollection.org/song.cfm?id=1237&title=Old%20Mother%20Gray

"OLD MOTHER GRAY

Source -Library of Congress AFS 3635 B4

Collected by Herbert Halpert"

[Lyrics from sheet music]

"Old Mother Gray can we go out to play?

I won’t go near the riverside to chase the geese away.

-Transcribed by Gail Needleman


Suggested game directions:

Formation: Children stand in a line and face a child chosen to be “Old Mother Gray”

Action: Children sing the song two or three times, and the mother responds with spoken answers (no, not yet, maybe, not today).  On the next repetition, the mother responds “yes!” The children “run” towards the mother’s side as she tags (or catches) one of the children. The child caught becomes the new “Old Mother Gray” who now stands on the other side and the game repeats.”…
-end of quote-
This page continues with a section called “Rhyme Analysis” and a section called "Rhythm Set”.

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