See Saw Margery Daw

History & Origin

"See Saw Margery Daw" was first printed around 1765, though the rhyme is likely older. It belongs to the tradition of seesaw songs — rhythmic chants that matched the back-and-forth motion of the seesaw, or "teeter-totter" as it is known in North America. The seesaw was a common piece of playground equipment well before the nineteenth century, and songs that matched its rhythm were a natural development.

The identity of Margery Daw has attracted speculation. One theory holds that "Margery Daw" is a generic name for a lazybones or slovenly woman — "daw" being an old dialect word for a jackdaw or, by extension, a fool or idle person. In this reading, the rhyme is about a lazy servant being replaced, with Jacky (another generic name) being the one who inherits the position at a very poor rate of pay.

A penny a day was indeed very low pay even by historical standards, and the reason given — that Jacky can't work faster — has a certain bleak comedy to it. The rhyme captures something true about the experience of employment: the conditions are poor, and the explanation offered for them is dismissive rather than sympathetic. It is sung, nonetheless, with the cheerful rhythm of a seesaw.