The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #5088   Message #28813
Posted By: Joe Offer
20-May-98 - 12:51 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Once upon a time, the Goose drank wine...
Subject: ADD: The Clapping Song (Lincoln Chase)
Does this help?

Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on a streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat
#07) Shirley Ellis: "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)" (1965) [8] {16}
(Written by her manager/husband Lincoln "Bo-Bincoln" Chase, said Jamie. Barry added that Chase also wrote "Jim Dandy Got Married" for LaVern Baker. The EJs & Co. commented: "The last top 10 song for the 'Name Game' lady---Shirley, Shirley bo-birley, banana-fanna fo-firley, fee-fi-mo-mirley, Shirley [sorry, we couldn't resist]. Also recorded by Pia Zadora in 1982.")
and...
The name of that song is "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis. It's another one of those great oldies that gets ignored by most oldies stations!

Found on a hotbot search for "exact phrase." I'm wondering if maybe "Clapping Song" and "Name Game" have earlier roots, or if they originated with Shirley Ellis. I think they may be jumprope chants.

Joe Offer-


THE CLAPPING SONG
(Recorded by Shirley Ellis and written by her manager/husband Lincoln "Bo-Bincoln" Chase

3, 6, 9
The goose drank wine
The monkey chew tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat

Clap pat - clap pat - clap pat - clap....slap
Clap pat! clap your hand...
Pat it on your partner's hand... right hand
Clap pat! clap your hand...
Cross it with your left arm
Pat your partner's left palm

Clap pat! clap your hand...
Pat your partner's right palm
And your right palm again
Clap slap! clap your hand...
Slap your thigh, and sing a little song go...

My Mother told me
If I was goody
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My Auntie told her
I'd kissed a soldier
Now she won't buy me
A rubber dolly

3, 6, 9
The goose drank wine
The monkey chew tobacco on the streetcar line

The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little rowboat

Clap clap!
Clap your hands and prepare to pat
Clap!
Take your right arm
Pat your partner's right palm with your right palm

Clap!
Take your hand back and clap
Clap!
Take your right arm
Cross your right arm with your left arm
Pat your partner's left palm with your left palm
Clap!
Take your hand back and clap!
Take your hand to your palm and slap your thigh

And watch the fun materialize
As you sing this little song:

My Mother told me
If I was goody
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My Auntie told her
I'd kissed a soldier
Now she won't buy me
A rubber dolly

Clap!

Clap pat - clap pat - clap slap
Clap pat!
Clap pat - clap pat - clap slap

This transcription isn't perfect. I listened to the recording to correct the letssingit lyrics, but I got lost and confused about 2/3 of the way through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWuSPPLtkEQ


Lyrics source: https://www.letssingit.com/shirley-ellis-lyrics-the-clapping-song-ql3jfbc
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database


Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clapping_Song