Oranges and Lemons

This article is about the nursery rhyme. For other uses, see Oranges and Lemons (disambiguation).

Oranges and Lemons is an English nursery rhyme which refers to the bells of several churches, all within or close to the City of London. In its common version, the lyrics refer to, in turn, St Clement Eastcheap, St Martin Orgar, St Sepulchre-without-Newgate (opposite the Old Bailey), St Leonard's, Shoreditch, St Dunstan's, Stepney, and St Mary-le-Bow. Some claim that the St Clement's mentioned is actually St. Clement Danes. Given the present state of St Martin Orgar, St Martin-in-the-Fields makes a convenient stand-in.

The tune is reminiscent of change ringing, and the intonation of each line is said to correspond with the distinct sounds of each church's bells. Today, the bells of St. Clement Danes actually ring out the tune of the rhyme.

It is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index, 13190.

Common lyrics

One of the 12 bells, of St Leonard's, Shoreditch, removed for maintenance

The most common lyrics as it is used as a counting rhyme are as follows:

"Oranges and lemons", say the bells of St. Clement's

"You owe me five farthings", say the bells of St. Martin's

"When will you pay me?" say the bells of Old Bailey

"When I grow rich", say the bells of Shoreditch

"When will that be?" say the bells of Stepney

"I do not know", says the great bell of Bow

Here comes a candle to light you to bed

And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Party game

The song is used in a children's party game with the same name, in which the players file, in pairs, through an arch made by two of the players (made by having the players face each other, raise their arms over their head, and clasp their partners' hands). The challenge comes during the final lines:

Here comes a candle to light you to bed.

Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

(Chip chop, chip chop, the last man's dead.)

On the last word, the children forming the arch drop their arms to catch the pair of children currently passing through, who are then "out" and must form another arch next to the existing one. In this way, the series of arches becomes a steadily lengthening tunnel through which each set of two players have to run faster and faster to escape in time. The game works best with a pianist to play the tune, so that unpredictable changes of tempo can be introduced.

Alternate versions of the game include: children caught "out" by the last rhyme may stand behind one of the children forming the original arch, instead of forming additional arches; and, children forming "arches" may bring their hands down for each word of the last line, while the children passing through the arches run as fast as they can to avoid being caught on the last word.

Alternative lyrics

A less well known version of Oranges and Lemons (also known as the "London Bells" nursery rhyme) includes a number of London churches (not always in the same order):

"Oranges and Lemons" say the bells of St Clement's.

"Bull's eyes and targets" say the bells of St Margaret's.

"Brickbats and tiles" say the bells of St Giles'.

"Halfpence and farthings" say the bells of St Martin's.

"Pancakes and fritters" say the bells of St Peter's. [alternately: "Old shoes and slippers"]

"Two sticks and an apple" say the bells of Whitechapel.

"Pokers and tongs" say the bells of St John's.

"Kettles and pans" say the bells of St Anne's.

"Old Father Baldpate" say the slow bells of Aldgate.

"You owe me ten shillings" say the bells of St Helen's.

"When will you pay me?" say the bells of Old Bailey.

"When I grow rich" say the bells of Shoreditch.

"Pray when will that be?" say the bells of Stepney.

"I do not know" says the great bell of Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,

Chip chop, chip chop, the last man's dead.

Origins and meaning

The origins of Oranges and Lemons are not well known, but are thought to date to at least the 17th or 18th century. A square dance named "Oranges and Lemons" dates to 1665. They may come from a tower in London with the names of all these bells.

The lyrics may reflect trades and activities which took place near the location of the churches mentioned.

Some believe that the rhyme may be a reference to the beheading of King Charles I, as all the church bells rang to mark his execution, and the final lines may refer to capital punishment. The tenor bell of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate was rung to mark executions at Newgate prison.

The BBC's editable reference site mentions a possible sexual meaning to the rhyme, focused on the last few lines: the "candle to light you to bed" is thought to refer to the newlyweds going off to bed to consummate the marriage, while the "head" to be removed is the bride's "maidenhead". Other phrases in the extended version of the rhyme are also interpreted to refer to other aspects of sexuality and the wedding night. This interpretation also appears in Heavy Words Lightly Thrown (by Chris Roberts, 2003), a book about the meanings of common nursery rhymes.

Cultural references

• A half-and-half mixture of orange juice and bitter-lemon soda water is known as a "St Clements".
• The rhyme makes an appearance in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four as a snippet of nursery rhyme whose ending Mr Charrington cannot remember. Various characters contribute snippets of the rhyme as the book goes on, and the last lines figure symbolically into the closing events of the second section. It serves as an example of the near-complete eradication of shared culture, and is foreshadowed as being lost forever after the final few people who remember it die.
• The well known and widely covered folk music song "The Bells of Rhymney", with words by Idris Davies and music by Pete Seeger, closely follows the metrical form of the classic nursery rhyme and is based upon the similar idea of bells "saying" mnemonic phrases, using place names from Wales.
• An instrumental version of the rhyme's melody appears in the 1973 film The Wicker Man as "Chop Chop". The tune soundtracks a scene in which characters, chanting "chop chop", conduct a ceremony with swords reminiscent of the children's party game mentioned above.
• The song "Clash City Rockers" by the Clash feature a parody on the rhyme with a verse altered to reflect the music scene of that time: "'You owe me a move', say the bells of St. Groove/'Come on and show me', say the bells of Old Bowie/'When I am fitter', say the bells of Gary Glitter/'No one but you and I say', the bells of Prince Far-I".
• The novel "The First Verse" by Barry McCrea features a mysterious character named Pablo Virgomare whose appearance is marked or brought on by a line from Oranges and Lemons.
• "Oranges and Lemons" is the name of an album by British post-punk/alternative-rock band XTC (their most successful album, by chart position).
• In the song "Stop Crying" (1979) by Th' Dudes, the last two lines of the chorus are the same as that of the nursery ryme, "Here comes the candle to light you to bed, here comes the choper to chop off your head."