A Paper Of Pins

I'll give to you a paper of pins,
It is the way that love begins,
If you might marry me, me, me,
If you might marry me.

I won't accept your paper of pins,
If that's the way your love begins,
Sure I won't marry you, you, you,
Sure I won't marry you.

I'll give to you a suit of red,
Stitched around with golden a thread,
If you might marry me, me, me,
If you might marry me.

I won't accept your suit of red,
Stitched around with golden a thread,
Sure I won't marry you, you, you,
Sure I won't marry you.

I'll give to you a cloak of green,
To make you look like a fairy queen,
If you might marry me, me, me,
If you might marry me.

I won't accept your cloak of green,
To make me look like a fairy queen,
Sure I won't marry you, you, you,
Sure I won't marry you.

I'll give to you the keys of my heart,
Locked in love and never to part,
If you might marry me, me, me,
If you might marry me.

I won't accept the keys of your heart,
Locked in love and never to part,
Sure I won't marry you, you, you,
Sure I won't marry you.

I'll give to you the keys of my chest,
Plenty of money at your request,
If you might marry me, me, me,
If you might marry me.

I will accept the keys of your chest,
And plenty of money at my request,
Sure I will marry you, you, you,
Sure I will marry you.

Poor foolish girl don't think it's so,
It's only a joke from me you know,
Sure I wouldn't marry you, you, you,
Sure I wouldn't marry you.

####.... Author unknown. Variant of a 19th century nursery rhyme, The Keys Of Canterbury, collected by James Orchard Halliwell and published in 1846 as #DXXXIV in The Nursery Rhymes Of England, pp.229-230 ....####

This variant was collected in 1960 from Joshua Osborne of Seal Cove, White Bay, NL, by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.22-23, by the National Museum Of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.

Kenneth Peacock noted that this charming little duet is well represented in both English and American collections. Cecil Sharp found it in the Southern Appalachians as The Keys Of Heaven, and collections of nursery rhymes often include it. He also noted that little boys who find these acting-out songs a bore usually like A Paper Of Pins because it gives them an opportunity to finish one up on the girls.

Another variant was collected by John Avery Lomax (1867-1948) and his son Alan Lomax (1915-2002) and published in 1934 as Paper And Pins in American Ballads And Folk Songs, pp.323-324, (The Macmillan Company, New York).