In and Out The Dusty Bluebells is a fairly well-known nursery rhyme, singing game, and playground song, sometimes called In and Out the Dusting Bluebells.
The song dates back centuries, with its first mention being in an 1898 book by Alice Gomme, The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
It was a song before becoming a playground singing game and was quite popular with girls during the 1960s and 1970s.
The song has variations, with some newer versions replacing the dusty bluebells with a bamboo forest.
Newer versions also use the word partner rather than master ( as we have), which is an outdated term with a clouded history.
Lyrics for In and Out The Dusty Bluebells
The song features two verses sung on repeat as the game progresses.
In and out the dusty bluebells,
In and out the dusty bluebells,
In and out the dusty bluebells,
Will you be my partner?
Tippy Tippy Tap Tap on your shoulder,
Tippy Tippy Tap Tap on your shoulder,
Tippy Tippy Tap Tap on your shoulder,
You will be my partner.
How the Singing Game is Played for In and Out The Dusty Bluebells
For the game, one child is chosen to weave in and out the arches made from the connected hands of the other children who are standing in a circle while singing the song.
When the first verse finishes whoever the chosen child has stopped at becomes the next singer. But first they stand behind them and tap them on the shoulders gently singing Tippy Tippy Tap Tap On your Shoulder.
The first chosen child then holds the selected child on the waste and they begin singing and weaving weaving through the arched hands of the other children forming a trail, until there are no children left in the circle.
The video below gives a great demonstration of the game and you can see the kids are having a lot of fun playing it!
