Play Parties and Parlor Games
Living sometimes several miles from their closest neighbors, Taney County natives relished the chance to come together. Though often the purpose of assembling was work related--raising a barn, putting up crops, clearing the land, and so forth--time was usually set aside for some socializing. Play parties, or parlor games, were one way neighbors and friends entertained themselves.
Folk songs and dances, frequently originating in the old country and handed down through successive generations, provided the basis for these gatherings. Though similar to square dances, play parties differed in several ways. First, they required much less space, as the gatherings were generally smaller. Second, they may or may not have instrumental accompaniment, depending upon the occasion.
Finally, the play parties were generally much calmer affairs than square dances, making them appropriate entertainment for the entire family: liquor was generally not consumed (unless someone sneaked outside for a nip) and the musical tempo was generally more sedate. Square dancing, though calm by modern standards, had gained the reputation of adult entertainment--particularly around the prohibition era. In fact, a 1936 ordinance forbade square dancing within the city limits of Branson (ironically signed into law by Mayor Jim Owen, who also served as the square-dance caller), suggesting that those gatherings had become rowdy, disruptive affairs according to the mores of the community.
But play parties retained a more wholesome appeal. Particularly for young people, they provided welcomed social interaction. In the summer, the parties would be held outside; in the winter, furniture in the best room in the house would be pushed aside to make room for the family and guests. Sometimes the songs and dance steps were only slightly modified from their European origins. Of course, enterprising Ozarkians also invented their own lyrics and movements.
Below are a couple of play party games, or dances, that have been traced as far back as Elizabethan times:
"Green Gravel"
lyrics:
Green gravel, green gravel,The grass is so green.Three matrons, three matrons,You're shamed to be seen.Dear ________, Dear ________,Your true love is dead.He (she) wrote you a letter,To turn back your head.
instructions:
The game begins with everyone in a large circle, facing the center with hands joined. Players skip around the circle throughout the first verse. At the beginning of the second verse, players continue skipping, but everyone adds the name of one of the players. Beginning with the line "Your true love is dead," everyone stands still. The person whose name was inserted in the song drops hands and turns backward (facing the outside of the circle) to state the name of his or her sweetheart. Then that player rejoins hands with the group (without turning back toward the center of the circle). The song and actions are repeated, this time naming someone else in the circle who must also turn outward and state the name of the person he or she likes. The game continues until all of the players are turned outward (Baldwin and Watts 51).
"Needle's Eye"
lyrics:
Needle's eye that doth supply The thread that runs so truly,Many a lass did I let passBecause I wanted you.You, you, you, you, you, you,Many a lass did I let passBecause I wanted you.(alternate lyrics: "Many a feller I kicked down the cellar"or "Many a guy did I let by")
instructions:
The game begins with players in a large circle, in any order, with hands joined. One boy and girl join hands, forming an arch through which the circle will pass (this is the "needle's eye"). The circle rotates clockwise through the eye throughout the singing of the first verse. Upon the singing of the second verse, the player in the inside of the circle lowers his or her arms, catching someone in the circle between the arms of the fallen arch. This new player becomes the inside arch, while the person who was on the inside crosses to the outside of the circle. The person who had been the outside of the arch joins the circle and the game continues (52).
Other play party games more closely resembled square dances. For example, the next game involves promenading and pairing with a specific partner. The historic origin of the song is not known.
"Pig in the Parlor"
lyrics:
We've got a pig in the parlor,We've got a pig in the parlor,We've got a pig in the parlor,And it is Irish too.Oh, your right hand to your partner,Your left hand to your neighbor,Your right hand to your partner,And all promenade.And all promenade,And all promenade,Swing your left hand lady 'round,And all promenade.We've got a new pig in the parlor . . .(repeat verse one)
instructions:
The game begins with everyone in a large circle, facing inward, with girls standing on the boys' right (an equal number of couples form the outer circle). An extra player stands in the center of the circle; this person is the pig. Initially, everyone in the circle joins hands and circles left for the singing of the first verse. As the second verse begins, players follow the instructions: first, joining right hands with their partners and turning half way around; then boys turn the next girl in the circle completely around with the left hand. Next, the boys return to their original partners and join right hands. These partners promenade counterclockwise, joining hands behind their backs. At the line "Swing your left hand lady round," boys swing the girls behind them, and these pairs become new sets of partners.
While the game is going on, the pig in the center tries to get a partner. If he or she does get a partner, the ousted partner goes to the center and the game begins again with the new lyric. If the original pig is unsuccessful, the game is repeated, this time changing the lyric to "The same old pig's in the parlor . . ." (56-57).
There are many, many play party games collected in various sources. Many have been adapted for physical education activities, ice-breakers, and amusements for young children (remember watching Barney the dinosaur and the Backyard Gang singing "Looby Loo"?). The songs and dances range from fun to foolish, but they all share a common purpose: providing wholesome exercise and entertainment for family and friends.
Works Cited
Baldwin, Rebecca and Patsy Watts. "We've Got a Pig in the Parlor: A Collection of Ozark Play Party Games." Bittersweet Fall 1978: 49-61.
Image of dance formation from http://www.arttoday.com. member page, 10 July 1999.
Image of dancing pig from http://www.animationlibrary.com. 10 July 1999.
Image of table from http://www.arttoday.com. member page, 10 July 1999.
