The Mulberry Bush

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

THE MULBERRY BUSH (S8x32) 3C (4C set) Chris Ronald, 2015

1- 8 1s set, cast (2s step up); 2s+1s+3s turn RH remaining in centre facing up in allemande hold
9-16 2s+1s+3s dance Allemande. 312
17-24 3s+1s+2s dance Set and Rotate for 3 couples:
Set and rotate singly and chase 1 place clockwise, all change places RH up/down set with partner and chase clockwise to own sides.
25-32 2s+1s+3s circle 6H round and back
Note: Can be danced as a strathspey, a reel or a medley of 32S+32R

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams

The Mulberry Bush - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Information

The title of this dance alludes to the English nursery rhyme and singing game entitled "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

The game typically involves forming a circle and holding hands while singing the rhyme. The lyrics describe various actions that the participants mime, such as going "round the mulberry bush" in a circular motion, washing their face, and other playful activities.

The game often ends with everyone laughing and cheering. It's a popular activity in nursery schools and playgrounds, cherished for its simplicity and interactive nature.

The most common modern version of the rhyme is:

Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we wash our face, Wash our face, wash our face. This is the way we wash our face On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we comb our hair, Comb our hair, comb our hair. This is the way we comb our hair On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we brush our teeth, Brush our teeth, brush our teeth. This is the way we brush our teeth On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we put on our clothes, Put on our clothes, put on our clothes. This is the way we put on our clothes On a cold and frosty morning.

Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush On a cold and frosty morning.

The Baby's Opera, A Book Of Old Rhymes And The Music By The Earliest Masters - Book Cover, c. 1877

This page uses content under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, along with original copyrighted content and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources.
Text from this original Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush article on Wikipedia.
Image from Walter Crane, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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