May Nuts

When I was a kid we used to sing this rhyme:

Here we go gathering nuts in May,
Nuts in May, nuts in May.
Here we go gathering nuts in May,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Who will you have for nuts in May,
Nuts in May, nuts in May?
Who will you have for nuts in May,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Who will you send to fetch her away,
Fetch her away, fetch her away?
Who will you send to fetch her away,
On a cold and frosty morning?

Wills and Jack will fetch her away,
Fetch her away, fetch her away,
Wills and Jack will fetch her away,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Now I was often puzzled by this rhyme when I was a kid and later in life after studying horticulture I became even more puzzled whenever I remembered it. You see, there are no nuts to gather in May. As it's now the last day of April, May tomorrow, I found myself singing it again along with my escort while driving my bus. Once more I pondered it...this is the wrong time of the year in the Northern hemisphere to have any tree bearing nuts never mind gathering them. However, nursery rhymes are such that there is always some element of truth in them, some folk lore or historical event. What could it be?

Now this is only speculation, but, there is a tendency for mistakes to crop into these old rhymes especially when dialect comes into it, so perhaps over time and mis-singing the word "nuts" has evolved from something else. Obviously this is something to do with nature, plants and May. The word that jumps into my mind when I say "nuts" is "knots" and of course this time of year is the time when the May tree comes into full flower. So now how does it scan?

Here we go gathering knots of May,
Knots of May, knots of May.
Here we go gathering knots of May,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Who will you have for knots of May,
Knots of May, knots of May?
Who will you have for knots of May,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Who will you send to fetch her away,
Fetch her away, fetch her away?
Who will you send to fetch her away,
On a cold and frosty morning?

Wills and Jack will fetch her away,
Fetch her away, fetch her away,
Wills and Jack will fetch her away,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Now this scans much better. The May flowers even look like little knots. Then at this time of year is the May festival with the May Queen who traditionally wears a crown of May flowers. "Who will you have for knots of May?" Who will be chosen as May Queen? The Queen of May and the fertility rites.

So only one thing left. "On a cold and frosty morning." It is not normally cold and frosty at the beginning of May, well, not unless one is living in the Northern part of Britain and where the word "knot" could sound like "nut" to a child.

Anyone know the real answer?

Happy Beltane everyone :)

~ Rob