ONE AND ONE AND ONE MAKE THREE

One and one and one makes three.
You better watch your man
cause your man is watchin me.

So if you came her with your man
you better hold him tight.
Cause you damn sure better believe
He'll be leaving here with a
Q Pearl tonight.
-a member of Q Pearl, Edinboro University, 1990s; also featured in Meharry College step show video, {with the name "AKA" substituted for "Q Pearl} late 1990s; AKA is an abbreviation for the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.}

-snip-

My informant for this chant told me that she thinks that this chant probably came from a sorority before it was "picked up" by her little sister group. She also said that she thought that a lot of sororities use this chant.

Confirming that observation, I heard at least the first four lines of this chant on a video of a Meharry College step show, late 1990s. In that video, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority {AKA's} who were seated in the bleachers began this chant after their step team's formal portion of the show. Several AKAs stood in front of the AKA's section of the gymnasium bleachers and were chanting, pumpin up the others in that section. Because of the chanting that was going on throughout different sections of the gym, I couldn't understand the rest of the cheer. But it certainly could have been the same words to the chant given above.

Step chants {songs} and {certain} step routines that are performed by one chapter within a geographical area may be picked up and performed by other chapters who are in widely separated geographical areas. These step routines and chants are shared within chapters of the national organization at national & regional conferences & step shows, and are shared informally by members from different chapters who may visit each other. Step show videos are another way of learning new routines. Increasingly, internet websites and bulletin boards are another way of learning new chants and different versions of chants.

I've also collected a version of this chant performed by frat brothas who said that "you betta watch your girl cause your girl is watchin me".

There was a time when it was absolutely prohibited for anyone other than a member of a specific Pan-Hellenic organization to perform that organization's chants or perform that organization's signature steps. An exception to that firm rule was those portions of a step show when members of a sorority [or fraternity or little sister group] perform signature steps or chants that are clearly associated with another organization in salute to that organization or as a semi-serious 'crack' on that organization.

Although step routines and chants aren't supposed to be performed by people who aren't members of a specific fraternity or sorority, more and more nowadays, non-members of these Greek letter organizations are changing a word or a move here or there and using what them in the routines they do for their community or school step teams.

Here's a link to a website that sells videos of step shows and vds of fraternity and sorority chants: [Disclaimer-I've not purchased anything from this website, so can't vouch for its quality or reliabilty:

http://www.stompshow.com/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=51