As an aside, if you judged by the number of versions posted on the Internet {for instance on Mudcat and on the schoolyard thread in the eclectic Wheee! Blog website that I linked to earlier, "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" seems to be a very widely known children's rhyme. However, in my 8 years of collecting children's rhymes from African Americans-mostly in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area but also elsewhere-I haven't found any evidence that "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" is even known among African Americans children now or in the past.

My theory is that "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" may not be widely known {or known at all} among African Americans because it emphasizes word play while we{African Americans} are far more interested in moving to the rhythm and beat of rhymes than the words of rhymes.

Two other categories of rhymes that from my research appear to be little known among African Americans but well known among European Americans are what I call 'gross out' rhymes such as "Great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts"} and parody teacher taunts such as Glory Glory Hallelujah/teacher hit me with a ruler/I met her at the door/with a loaded 44/and she ain't gonna teach no more.

My theory is that "Miss Lucy" may not be that popular among African Americans the words {and word play} are emphasized while we {African Americans} are far more interested in moving to the rhythm and beat of rhymes than the words of rhymes.

I think that race 'plays' a much larger part than heretofore noted in determining which rhymes or kinds of rhymes children know & recite,and the way that rhymes are performed. if it is true that these types of rhymes that I mentioned aren't recited by African American children, maybe it is because these rhymes emphasize word play and African Americans prefer rhymes that are recited with syncopated rhythms & percussive beat and performed with hip & butt shaking social dance moves, bass sounding foot stomp 'steppin' moves, and/or extricate handclap routines.

I hope someone conducts formal research on this. I think the results would be quite interesting.


Azizi