A short chase rhyme, calling Willie round the bush and the beehive to be caught alive. Barely more than a breath long, and built for repeating at speed.
From Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional). See the whole collection.
About the bush, Willie,
About the beehive,
About the bush, Willie,
I'll meet thee alive.
About this rhyme
Checked: no tune note is recorded for this rhyme in the data, and no source found documents a historical singing tradition specific to this piece, so the claim that it 'would once have been sung' isn't defensible. Framing it as a suggestion for how to read it today, rather than a historical claim, is safe.
A short verse built around a call to someone named Willie. Willie and the beehive are there for the sound of the words as much as any real meaning. Try singing it rather than just saying it. The rhythm asks for a tune, even though none has come down with this one.
Public domain. Text from The Real Mother Goose (Blanche Fisher Wright, 1916), via Project Gutenberg. View the source edition