The Singing Street: children playing in Edinburgh (1950s)

Children's games filmed in the back streets of Edinburgh accompanied by traditional children's songs.

Two girls twirl two long skipping ropes, a third girl runs in to skip as they all sing, the film slows to show the skipping action. A girl glides down the street on roller skates - not quite in control!

The clip is from The Scottish Screen Archive collection. For more information about this film including details of how to obtain a copy please follow this link:
http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=0799

The Scottish Screen Archive holds thousands of films and videos from Scotland's 20th-century history. The archive contains everything from home movies and advertisements to educational films and documentaries. There are films detailing technical processes and others showing the imagination and innovation of Scottish film-makers over the years. http://www.nls.uk/ssa/

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[LNER4468]

Not all Edinburgh children's playing songs were so sweet...

"Doon the close and up the stair,

Mind yir back for Burke and Hare.

Burke's the butcher, Hare's the thief,

Knox the man wha buys the beef."

[jane21eajh]

Loved it ..Brilliant.

[agaichapter25]

neh fatties then eh?

[Azizip17]

3nd verse Ice cake spice cake soft parfait (?) [pronounced "partee"] And we'll have a wedding At half past three 4rd verse Pomp Pomp Here comes the taxicab Pomp Pomp Here comes the taxicab Pomp Pomp Here comes the taxicab [We're] ready for the wedding at half-past three

[Azizip17]

Here's my transcription of this rhyme. The (?) means I'm unsure about that word or line. DOWN IN THE VALLEY WHERE THE GREEN GRASS GROWS 1st verse: Down in the valley where the green grass grows/there's a lady green (?) She grows {?) like a rose. She grows (?), she grows, she grows so sweet That she calls for a ladder (?) At the end of the street. 2nd verse Sweetheart, sweetheart Will you marry me? Yes, love, yes love [at] Haft past three.

[Azizip17]

Thanks for posting this video. I was surprised to see the Scottish girls jumping Double Dutch as a street game in the 1950s as I didn't know that Double Dutch was known in Scotland then. The way that girl jumps is different than the acrobatic, dance DD moves that Black girls do for fun.The wiki artiicle on DD notes that it started in American inner cities. But that article also notes that DD came over with the first Dutch settlers or appeared in the first half of the 1900s. Which is it?

[Truddick1944]

Does anyone know who the girls were jumping rope?

[BillDFC]

Nae fat bairns then!

[freacls]

that was cute kids dont sing like that anymore really its tv themes they sing or the Sailor moon them when i was at school come on a japanese anime sung by scottish school kids we didnt have these songs