Pippen Hill
As I was going up Pippen Hill,
Pippen Hill was dirty;
There I met a pretty Miss,
And she dropped me a curtsy.
Little Miss, pretty Miss,
Blessings light upon you;
If I had half-a-crown a day,
I’d spend it all upon you.
Origins and Meaning
Pippen Hill is one of those rhymes that sounds like it’s been whispered through hedgerows for centuries. The name “Pippen” probably comes from pippin apples, which hints that this little hill was once an orchard slope — the kind of place where boys and girls met after chores were done.
A quiet lane, a girl in a clean dress, and a boy whose courage just outweighs his sense — that’s Pippen Hill in a nutshell. The half-crown is his ticket to romance, his proof of worth. He’s bluffing, of course, but she probably knows it. The charm lies in the pretense.
