Give a Thing, Take It Back

DESCRIPTION: A warning for those who try to reclaim gifts: "Give a thing, take it back, Dance upon the devil's back." Or, "...take it back, God will ask you Where is that. If you say that you don't know, God will send you down below."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1975 (Brady-AllInAllIn)
KEYWORDS: warning Devil gift
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Brady-AllInAllIn, p. 19, "(Give a thing)" (1 text)
Peirce-KeepTheKettleBoiling, p. 41, "(Give a thing)" (1 text)
Peter and Iona Opie, _I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth_, #143, "(Give a thing, take it back)" (1 text)
Roud #20781
File: BAAI019A

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