I didn't jump so much rope as a youngun but as boys in a working class neighborhood we DID "count out" alot. For those who don't know or forgot, "counting out" was the act of excluding ones self (or IN cluding one's self) from being "it!" I don't see it so much anymore, but I sure liked doing it myself.

I put one up a while ago about such as that- Here it is for anyone who wants to see it.

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=56361

Subject: RE: Folklore: Skipping Rhymes & Playground Games
From: Neighmond - PM
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 01:57 AM


Well-a-day! As a poor kid, we had few toys and played outside games- "bunny run" and "touch hide-and-seek", or lotball and wallball (called lobo, in our slang-"You never looked sick...out playing lobo all day!"), and this was how we decided who was "it!" Pardon the length-I got fired up about this because it seemed so fun to do, and I seldom see children playing it nowadays.

We had a caller, who counted the rhyme and tapped our shoe toes with each accented word. The caller was usually the oldest or the one who said "I call picks!" or "I call!" first. All the players, including the caller, put their feet in a circle and hunkered down. The elimination went on until one last foot was left. The person that foot was attatched to then led off by being "it".

I. Engine, engine, number two!
   Coming down the C.B.Q.*
   If the train should jump the track-
   Would you get (want) your money back?

   (Answer: Either Yes, no, or maybe)

   Y-E-S spells "yes" and you are not it!
   N-O            "no"
   M-A-Y-B-E      "maybe"

* Chicago, Burlington & Quincy- a railway in eastern Iowa/northern Illinois

I have heard it:
Engine, engine, number nine (ten), (three)
Going down Chicago Line (the L. & N.), (the Santa Fe)

We always used The C. B. Q., and the Chicago line one. The caller touched toes on shoes with each accented word (sort of depended on the caller as to the accent) and the person who was ended up on chose the answer, and the caller spelled it out and whomever was landed on then was removed from the running.


II. Bubblegum, Bubblegum in the dish
    How many pieces do you wish?

    (Answer is a number.)

The person who got landed on picks a number, and the caller spells out the number, followed by "...and you are not IT!" The person whose foot is landed on last is out of the running.


III. One...two...three! NOT IT!

The caller counted slowly, and all yelled "NOT IT!" The last one to finish saying "NOT IT!" was "it". This one could start a nasty fight, causing disputes over who had in fact called "NOT IT!" and how fast they had done it.


IV. Doggie, doggie diamond
    Step...right...OUT!

The caller tapped the toes of the shoes in time with the words, and the foot the caller ended up on was out of the running. This, too, was a questionable one to use, as any caller could control it so they could put themselves out of the running, or put the ones they chose on purpose out of the running. We only used it if nobody called: "No doggie diamond!", which was very seldom indeed.

V. My momma, your momma, hanging out clothes
   Your mom hit my momma right in the nose
   What color was the blood?*

   (Answers with a color)

   (Caller spells color) and (optional: my momma says) you are not it!

The person landed on picks out a color and the caller spells it and proceeds as usual, eliminating the last one landed on.

*The po-leace took your momma straight to jail
how many days to pay her bail?

Proceeds as above only using numbers in leu of letters. This last version showed up as I was becoming too old for tag hide-and-seek, and seemed to start with some kids from Fort Dodge. From time to time "momma" was replaced by "grannie".

VI. One, two, three, four!
    I ain't being "it" no more!

VII. My momma told me to pick the very best one
    and you are not it!

VIII. One, two, three,
      You're O-U-T!

On all three of these, whomever the caller landed on was out of the running. Like "Doggie diamond" they were often a bone of contention.


I used to spend recesses against the wall for jumping out of the swings in mid-air, and playing tag on the tornado slide, and the girls jumped the rope on the wide walkway there. Here are a few that I recall hearing, but the words may be out of order, as this was a while ago.

I. Apples on a stick, make me sick(slick?).
   make my arms (heart?) go two-four-six!
   It's not because i'm dirty
   It's not because i'm clean
   It's not because I kiss the boys
   behind a magazene (behind a _____ machine?)
   Hey girls, let's have fun!
   Here comes a cop with his (vest?) undone!
   He can shammey he can shake
   He can do the hoochie-koo
   But I bet a dollar he can't catch you!
   One, two, three, etc.....

Chanted to a double jumprope, I heard this on the schoolyard in Spirit Lake, Iowa around 1982-5. The count continued untill the jumproper missed a lick.

II. I went to the chinese grocer
    to buy a loaf of bread
    He wrapped it up in wax-paper
    And here is what he said:
    My name is Kay-eye-pickel-eye
    Humble berries, wild cherries
    Chinese chop sticks-
    Chow Chow!

In this little chant, the girls sat facing each other and clapped hands on each others palms, and their shoulders and laps. They went on until someone goofed in the clapping order. I heard this one in an apartment complex, growing up in Spirit Lake, Iowa in the early '80's.

III.Miss Lucy had a steam boat,
    The steam boat had a bell.
    Miss Lucy went to heaven,
    The steam boat went to
    Hell-o operator,
    Give me number nine,
    If I get disconnected,
    I'll kick you from-
    Behind the 'fridgerator
    There sat a piece of glass,
    Miss Lucy sat upon it
    And cut her big fat
    As-k me no more questions,
    Tell you me more lies,
    The boys are in the bathroom,
    Zipping up their flies-
    Are in the kitchen,
    The're buzzing everywhere
    I got a can of fly spray
    And sprayed it in the
    Airplane is in the air,
    The trucks are on the ground,
    And I get on the carosell
    Go 'round and round and
    'Round King Arthur's table
    There was a dozen knights.
    There was a lot of fighting
    At dinner every
    Night time in the city
    Night time in the park
    Miss Lucy's on the park bench
    Kissin' in the Dark!

Usually two girls swung one long rope, which had some bits tied to to make it snap on the cement, and the third girl jumped double-time. The two end girls sang this, and they NEVER had the same verses as the last lot that sang it-there must be a million! When the girl in the middle missed a lick, one of the end girls would switch places. I remember hearing this in Mankato, Minnesota, as far back as 1980, only I don't recall all the verses they were using. This version is the verses a lady friend and I recall from the apartment complex and school yard in Spirit Lake in the early '80's.

IV. Cinderella, dressed in yella
    Tell me, have you got a fella?

The girls holding the rope chanted this and the jumper kept time. She answered with a name and spelled it ("P-A-U-L spells 'Paul'") and this went on untill the jumper missed a lick.

V. (One time?)
   goose drank wine
   monkey chewed tobacco
   on the street car line.

There is some counting pattern to this one-and it was double-dutch (with two ropes) but I can't recall anymore of it. I heard it in Mankato in 1980 or thereabouts.

VI. Hopedy hop, hoppedy hop
    How many jumps until you stop?

Just like it looks. The jumper counts off untill she misses a lick, and they change jumpers. This comes from Emmetsburg, Iowa about 1985 or so.

VII. 'way down in the (gichee goo?)
    the girls and boys all coochie coo
    _______________cooties
    _________Baby booties

I can't recall that one too well, but that I heard Carolyn Steinocher's kid's chant it in Mankato. I was too young. I don't think they jumped the rope, I think they hopped the sidewalks.

VIII. I like coffee,
      I like tea.
      I like the boys
      And the boys like me.

IX. ___________and___________, sitting in the tree
    K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
    First comes love, next comes marrage
    Last comes__________with the baby carrage.
    (Some girls sang: Get the diapers, get the pins,
    Oh my word they just had Twins!)

X. I have a little brother
   his name is Tiny Tim.
   We put him in the bathtub
   To see if he could swim.
   He drank up all the water.
   He ate up all the soap.
   He tried to eat the bathtub
   But it won't go down his throat.

XI. My brother's as mean as he can be!
    He broke a plate and he blamed me!
    But I told Ma
    And Ma Told Pa
    And Brother got a whupping so Ha! Ha! Ha!

These didn't seem to be used in jumping the rope, they were clapping and cat's cradle (with yarn?) games, as I recall. I heard them in Spirit Lake and Arnold's Park in the early '80's.


There are a billion more but I would put everyone to sleep saying them, and they pretty much all follow the lines of the ones I said. I hope this does someone some good-it was sure fun to remember them!

For what it's worth
Chaz