(In England 200 years ago, this was a dance called “The Keys to Canterbury.”)
Boys: I’ll give to you a paper of pins, if that’s the way our love begins,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I’ll not accept your paper of pins, if that’s the way our love begins,
And I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.
Boys: I’ll give to you a dress of red, stitched all around with golden thread,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I’ll not accept your dress of red, stitched all around with golden thread,
And I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.
Boys: I’ll give to you a dress of green, that you may look just like the Queen,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I’ll not accept your dress of green, that I may look just like the Queen,
And I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.
Boys: I’ll give to you a little dog, Tray, to go with you when you go away,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I’ll not accept your little dog, Tray, to go with me when I go away,
And I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.
Boys: I’ll give to you a coach and four, that you may ride from door to door,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I’ll not accept your coach and four, that I may ride from door to door,
And I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.
Boys: I’ll give to you the key to my heart, that we may marry and never part,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I’ll not accept the key to your heart, that we may marry and never part,
And I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.
Boys: I’ll give to you the key to my chest, so you have money at your request,
If you will marry, marry, marry, you will marry me.
chorus
Girls: I will accept the key to your chest! So I have money at my request!
And I will marry, marry, marry, I will marry you!
Boys: You love coffee & I love tea; you love my money more than you love me,
So I’ll not marry, marry, marry, I’ll not marry you.*
chorus
Girls: Then I shall choose to be an old maid; I’ll take my chair & sit in the shade,
And I won’t marry, marry, marry, I won’t marry you!
Boys: What good’s my money without you? Take my heart and money, too.
And I will marry, marry, marry, I will marry you.*
*Choose your own ending! This would be fun acted out on stools, boys and girls, with girls picking up their stools and moving away on “take my stool and sit in the shade.”