Where Does The Phrase "in A Dark Dark ..." Come From Originally.

[nellypope]

I know Janet and Alan Ahlberg used it for their Funnybones book, but I always thought it was older than that. When I was a kid we played a game which started with "in a dark dark town, was a dark dark street, in the dark dark street, was a dark dark house, . . . and so on"

Any ideas?

[Marshwarble]

It's a playground game. There are hundreds of pieces of poetry that CAN only be explained by being playground games. You could look up the Lore and Language of Schoolchildren by Iona Opie?

[Jackdaw33]

I don't thing it has any specific origin. It is just repetition for the sake of emphasis, like 'very,very good' and 'The green,green grass...'

[Jackdaw33]

In the example you quote, if there were only one 'dark' there would be no rhythm.

And don't forget the 'Red, red robin...'

[Lie-in King]

Or the "black, black daw..."

[Jackdaw33]

Ha ha☺

[Patsy33]

Or a long long time ago...

[Peter Pedant]

// You could look up the Lore and Language of Schoolchildren by Iona Opie?//

the Opies wrote the definitive books on schoolyard language - seventies I think. I think they also did The Singing Game....
BUT

the interesting ( to me ) bits like Little Jack Horner is about the 1530s dissolution of the monasteries, or Mary Mary quite contrary is about Mary I Tudor, gets short shrift from them as old wives tales which they dont bother with

[ there is still enough material for a book a two tho ]