Girls and Boys Come Out to Play

Girls and boys, come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day,
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and I'll find flour,
And we'll have a pudding in half an hour.

This rhyme was first published in 1708

It is thought that this rhyme refers to the later Middle Ages and Industrial Revolution when children were expected to work during the day and only had the evenings free when they could play with their friends.