NurseryRhymes.info
Girls and Boys Come Out To Play
1708 
England Lyrics
Girls and boys, come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day;
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and I'll find flour,
And we'll have a pudding in half an hour.
The moon doth shine as bright as day;
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and I'll find flour,
And we'll have a pudding in half an hour.
History and Meaning
"Girls and Boys Come Out to Play" is a traditional English nursery rhyme with origins dating back to at least 1708 where the first lines appeared in dance books. Later it was included in an early collection of nursery rhymes "Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book", published in 1744.
The lyrics make a cheerful invitation for children to leave their evening activities ("leave your supper and leave your sleep") and gather outside to play under the moonlight. It encourages them to bring along their playthings ("Come with a hoop, come with a call") and join their friends in the street for some spontaneous fun. This is most likely an idealised vision of carefree childhood with play going on into the evening.