Another popular song in America, Jenny Jenkins has been used as a way for boys to ask girls that they like to dance with them. Boys were expected to choose a color and the girl they were talking to had to come up with a word that rhymes with that specific color. Should the girl be unable to choose a color that rhymed, she would then be expected to dance with the boy as a forfeit.
The origins of Jenny Jenkins are not well known but many experts claim that it would have been used as a song that was passed on from person to person by word of mouth, making it impossible to credit the original lyric writer.
The song was first found in the Green Mountain Songster in 1823 and continues to be a popular choice for a playground rhyme in the USA, helping young people break the ice and get to know new people easier.
Jenny Jenkins Lyrics
Will you wear white, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear white, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear white, the color’s too bright.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear green, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear green, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear green, it’s a shame to be seen.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear blue, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear blue, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear blue, the color’s too true.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear yellow, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear yellow, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear yellow, I’ll never get a fellow.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear brown, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear brown, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear brown, cause I’d never get around.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear beige, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear beige, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear beige, cause it shows my age.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear orange, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear orange, Jenny Jenkins?
No orange I won’t wear, it rhymes so there.
I’ll buy me a foldy roldy tildy toldy, seek a double,
Use a causa roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear black, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear black, Jenny Jenkins?
No I won’t wear black, it’s the color of my back.
I’ll buy me a foldy roldy tildy toldy, seek a double,
Use a causa roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear red, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear red, Jenny Jenkins?
I won’t wear red, it’s the color of my head.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Will you wear pink, oh my dear, oh my dear,
Will you wear pink, Jenny Jenkins?
Well, what do you think? I won’t wear pink.
I’ll buy me a foldy roldy, tildy toldy, seek a double,
Usa causa roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Then what will you wear, oh my dear, oh my dear,
What will you wear, Jenny Jenkins?
Oh, what do you care, if I just go bare.
I’ll buy me a fol-de-roldy, tilly-toldy, seek-a-double,
Use-a-cause-a roll to find me.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.
Roll, Jenny Jenkins, roll.