Nuts in May

First recorded: 1881

Origin: England

Lyrics

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.

We'll have [insert name] for nuts in May,Nuts in May, nuts in May,We'll have [insert name] for nuts in May,On a cold and frosty morning.

Who will you have to take her away,Take her away, take her away,Who will you have to take her away,On a cold and frosty morning.

We'll have [insert name] to take her away,Take her away, take her away,We'll have [insert name] to take her away,On a cold and frosty morning.

Nobody gathers nuts in May, they ripen in autumn, and that oddity is the key to the whole song. The "nuts" are almost certainly "knots," bunches of May blossom that young people once gathered at dawn for courtship. Children play it as a two-team tug-of-war, picking off players from the opposing side.

Origins

The song is cataloged under number 6308 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The earliest documented publication of the game's lyrics and rules appeared in 1881, recorded by folklorist E. Carrington in the third volume of the Folk-Lore Record. Later in the 1890s, folklorist Alice Bertha Gomme documented multiple regional variations of the song across Great Britain in her study of traditional children's games.

Historically, the song is linked to ancient May Day celebrations. Some folklorists suggest that the lyrics evolved from older pagan fertility and courtship rituals associated with the transition to summer.

Meaning & Interpretation

The title contains a famous linguistic corruption. Since hazel nuts and walnuts do not ripen in May (they are harvested in autumn), the phrase "nuts in May" is widely believed to be a corruption of "knots in May." The word "knots" refers to posies, bunches, or garlands of hawthorn blossoms (commonly called may-blossom). Gathering these blossoms on May Eve was a traditional courting custom.

The children's game mimics these matchmaking customs. Two opposing teams face each other, taking turns to advance and retreat. One team selects a child from the other side, and they choose another child to "take her away." The game ends with a tug-of-war where the chosen children try to pull each other across a line. The refrain "on a cold and frosty morning" refers to the early dawn hours when youth would go out to gather the blossoms.

What does nuts in May mean?

The phrase "nuts in May" is likely a corruption of "knots in May," which refers to knots (bunches or garlands) of hawthorn flowers gathered during May Day celebrations for courtship.

How is the Nuts in May game played?

Two teams face each other and sing verses to choose a player from the opposing team and a challenger. The two players then hold hands and try to pull each other across a boundary line.