You probably remember the tune. It’s that rhythmic, back-and-forth melody that parents hum while bouncing a toddler on their knees or pushing a playground swing. But have you actually looked at the see saw margery daw lyrics lately? Most of us just mouth the words without thinking. We assume it's just some nonsensical British gibberish from the 1700s meant to keep a kid quiet for five minutes. It isn't.
Actually, it’s kinda grim.
The most common version we hear today goes something like this:
See Saw, Margery Daw,
Jacky shall have a new master;
Jacky shall have but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster.
Simple, right? Wrong. If you dig into the history of Mother Goose and the oral traditions of 18th-century England, you find a story about child labor, poverty, and a very specific type of "see-saw" that has nothing to do with a park.
The Gritty Origin of the See Saw Margery Daw Lyrics
Back in the day—we’re talking the mid-1700s—this wasn't just a song for the nursery. It was a work song. Or, more accurately, a song about work. The term "see-saw" actually referred to the motion of sawyers. Imagine two men (or often, a man and a boy) working a massive two-handled saw to cut timber. One person stands above the log, the other in a pit below. Up and down. Back and forth.
It was grueling.
The name "Margery Daw" wasn't just a random choice either. In old English slang, a "daw" was a lazy person or a "slattern." To call someone Margery Daw was essentially calling them a "Dirty Margery." This is where the folk history gets interesting. Some historians, like Iona and Peter Opie in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, suggest that the rhyme might have been used by children playing on a log, but its roots are firmly planted in the harsh reality of the working poor.
Jacky, the character in the rhyme, is likely a "pitman." That’s the unlucky soul at the bottom of the saw pit getting covered in sawdust. He gets a penny a day. In the 1700s, a penny was barely enough to keep you from starving, let alone "have a new master." The lyrics are basically a taunt or a lament about a slow worker who is being penalized for his lack of speed.
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Why Do the Lyrics Keep Changing?
If you search for see saw margery daw lyrics, you’ll find a dozen variations. Some are sweet. Some are weirdly specific about bedding.
One older version from Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book (circa 1744) is even more biting:
See Saw, Margery Daw,
Sold her bed and lay upon straw;
Was she not a dirty slut
To sell her bed and lie in the dirt?
Yeah. They used the word "slut." Back then, it didn't mean what it means now; it meant a "slovenly woman" or someone who didn't keep their house clean. But still, it’s a far cry from the sanitized "Jacky shall have a new master" version we give to toddlers today.
Why the shift?
The Victorian era happened. During the 1800s, there was a massive push to "clean up" folk songs for the sensitive ears of middle-class children. The "dirty slut" became "Jacky." The selling of the bed was replaced by the "penny a day" labor dispute. We basically took a song about a woman falling into extreme poverty and turned it into a song about a kid who isn't very good at his job.
Different Versions You Might Encounter
- The "Playground" Version: Focused on the motion of the see-saw. It’s rhythmic and repetitive.
- The "Social Commentary" Version: Mentions the "new master" and the "penny a day." This is the one most common in American nursery books.
- The "Original" Folk Fragment: Focuses on Margery Daw herself and her "dirty" habits or her loss of status.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle these rhymes survive at all. They were passed down by people who often couldn't read or write, so the lyrics shifted like a game of telephone across centuries.
The Mystery of "Margery Daw"
Who was she?
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Probably nobody specific.
Like "Jack" in Jack and Jill or Little Jack Horner, "Margery" was a common placeholder name for a generic girl or woman of the lower classes. However, some researchers have tried to link her to specific historical figures, but those theories usually fall flat. The consensus among folklorists is that she’s a character used to illustrate a moral or a social condition.
In the case of the see saw margery daw lyrics, the "condition" is clearly poverty. Selling one’s bed to lie on straw was a trope in 18th-century literature to describe someone who had hit rock bottom. It wasn't a choice; it was a desperate act of survival.
When we sing this to babies, we are essentially singing a song about the 1740s version of a homeless crisis.
The Musicality of the Rhyme
Despite the dark undertones, the rhyme works because of its meter. It’s a trochaic rhythm—STRESSED-unstressed, STRESSED-unstressed.
SEE-saw, MAR-ger-y DAW.
This mimics the physical motion of a saw or a swing perfectly. It’s what psychologists call "entrainment." Our bodies naturally want to move to that beat. This is why it has stayed in the cultural lexicon for nearly 300 years while thousands of other folk songs have been completely forgotten. It’s catchy. Even if the lyrics are about child labor and "dirty sluts," the beat slaps.
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Common Misconceptions About the Lyrics
People love a good conspiracy theory. You might have heard that this rhyme is about the plague (it isn't) or about some secret execution (it isn't).
Let's clear some things up:
- It’s not about the Great Fire of London. There’s no evidence for that.
- It’s not a "coded" message for a revolution. It’s much simpler: it’s about money and work.
- The "penny a day" wasn't actually good pay. Some people think "a penny a day" was a fair wage because of inflation. It wasn't. Even in 1750, it was the bare minimum for an unskilled laborer or an apprentice. It was a "poverty wage."
How to Use This Rhyme Today
If you're a parent or a teacher, you don't need to feel weird about singing it. Nursery rhymes are a bridge to our past. They contain the DNA of our language. Understanding the history of the see saw margery daw lyrics doesn't ruin the song; it just adds a layer of human reality to it.
Kids love the rhythm. They don't care about the 18th-century labor market.
But for us? It’s a reminder that life was hard, and sometimes the only way people could process that hardship was to turn it into a little ditty they could sing while they worked.
Actionable Next Steps for Folklore Fans
If this dive into the "Dirty Margery" has piqued your interest, here is how you can explore further:
- Check your editions: Look at different nursery rhyme books in your local library. See which version of the lyrics they use. The older the book, the "saltier" the lyrics usually are.
- Listen to the meter: Try reciting the rhyme while walking or clapping. Notice how the rhythm dictates your movement. This is a great way to teach children about "beat" in music.
- Research the "Opie" collection: If you want the real, unvarnished history of these rhymes, look for anything by Iona and Peter Opie. They are the gold standard for nursery rhyme research.
- Compare with "Jack and Jill": Look at the lyrics of other rhymes from the same era. You'll notice a pattern of physical accidents and financial ruin. It’s a fascinating window into what people actually worried about 300 years ago.
The world of nursery rhymes is a lot less "Disney" and a lot more "Dickens" than most of us realize. Next time you're at the park and you see a see-saw, just remember poor Jacky and his penny a day. It makes that morning coffee taste a little bit better.