ID: 322
Date: 1990s - 2006
Title: Miss Mary Mac
Gender: Female 
Classification: Clapping 
Rhyme: 

Miss Mary Mac, Mac, Mac,
All dressed in black, black, black.
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
All down her back, back, back.
She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For 50 cents,cents, cents,
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants,
Jump the fence, fence, fence.
They reach the sky, sky, sky,
They never come back, back, back,
Until the 4th of July, ly, ly.

(Christchurch, 1990s x 4; Greymouth, 1990s;  Palmerston, 2000; Gore, 2002; Auckland, 2004 x 2; Ashburton, 2006)

--

They came back by plane, plane, plane,
It was called Wayne, Wayne, Wayne,
From Dairy Dane, Dane, Dane,
She went upstairs, stairs, stairs,
To say her prayers, prayers, prayers,
She bumped her head, head, head,
Then she was dead, dead, dead.

(NZ ex Australia, 2000)

--
 
Background Info: Refer Turner, 1978:36.
Recorded by Halliwell, 1842, as a marching song:

Darby and Joan were dress'd in black,
Sword and buckle behind their back;
Foot for foot, and knee for knee,
Turn about Darby's company.

==

Discussion also in Knapp & Knapp, 1976:136- 137. Rhyme originally a riddle to which the answer was a coffin, being black and decorated with button-like objects.

==

Variation in Schwartz, 1992:102;

Miss Mary Murple, Murple, Murple,
Dressed in purple, purple, purple,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
Down her girdle, girdle, girdle..

==

Discussion in Turner, 1969:43 - 44:

Mary Mack, dressed in black,
Silver buttons down her back.
She likes coffee, I like tea,
She likes sitting on a Chinaman's knee.
Went to a river, couldn't get across,
Paid ten pounds for an old blind horse,
Jumped on his back, gave him a crack,
Goodbye, Mary Mack, she never came back.

==

Bolton, 1888:117 reports the version as a counting-out rhyme:

Miss Mary Mack, dressed in black,
Silver buttons on her back,
I love coffee, I love tea,
I love the boys and the boys love me.

==

Knapp, 1976:136 records different endings:

She could not read, read, read,
She could not write, write, write.
But she could smoke, smoke, smoke,
Her father's pipe, pipe, pipe.
She asked her mommy, mommy, mommy,
For fifteen cents, cents cents,
To see the boys, boys, boys,
Pull down their pants, pants, pants.

She went upstairs to make her bed,
She made a mistake and bumped her head;
She went downstairs to wash the dishes,
She made a mistake and washed her wishes;
She went outside to hang her clothes,
She made a mistake and hung her nose.

==

Onwuchekwa, 2003:128 records from urban black America the final verse:

Miss Mary stumbled, stumbled, stumbled,
And bumped her head, head, head,
On a piece of cornbread, bread, bread,
Then dropped dead!

==

"Play and Folklore", Issue 13, 1987:10-11, includes discussion on melodic structures in children's play lore and includes Mary Mac in the analysis.

==
 
Location: Various NZ, USA 
Group size: 2 
Incidence: 11