Documented since the late 19th century, the game was assumed to be an expression of an earlier adult tradition, such as a courtship dance.
[1] Later study discounts this idea and regards singing games as specifically a child activity.
One player is chosen as the leader, and the others stand in a fixed circle and sing.
Each verse repeats the same call three times, followed by a coda: An early study found that the following stages were the most common:[2] What happens after the partner leaves the ring varies.
Sometimes the partner joins hands with the leader, forming a line of dancers that grows longer with each round.