I wonder if anyone on Mudcat knows the parody of "Rockin Robin" that is performed as a handclap rhyme.

There were two recordings of "Rockin Robin" and both of the records were hits in the United States {Bobby Day, 1958; #3 US chart; and
the Jackson 5; 1972; # 2 US chart.}

The lyrics for these songs were about the same, though there is a great deal of variation in the spelling of the "Tweedily deedily dee" part. Some websites that post lyrics don't include the introduction to the song, but that turned out to be an important part of the parody/handclap rhyme:

Here's the Jackson 5 version of the hit record:

ROCKIN' ROBIN
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet

He rocks in the treetops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song
All the little birdies on J-Bird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet

Rockin' robin
Rock, rock
Rockin' robin
Go rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight

Every little swallow, every chickadee
Every little bird in the tall oak tree
The wise old owl, the big black crow
Flappin' their wings singin' go bird, go

Rockin' robin
Rock, rock
Rockin' robin
Go rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Yeah, yeah

[Instrumental Interlude]

The pretty little raven at the bird man stand
Taught him how to do the bop and it was grand
He started goin' steady and "bless my soul"
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriole

He rocks in the treetops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song
All the little birdies on J-Bird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet

Rockin' robin (tweet, tweedily dee)
Rock, rock
Rockin' robin (tweet, tweedily dee)
Go rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Yeah, yeah

The pretty little raven at the bird man stand
Taught him how to do the bop and it was grand
He started goin' steady and "bless my soul"
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriole

He rocks in the treetops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song
All the little birdies on J-Bird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet

Rockin' robin (tweet, tweedily dee)
Rock, rock
Rockin' robin (tweet, tweedily dee)
Go rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee
Tweet, tweet

end of quote

http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/jackson_5_the_jacksons/rockin_robin.html

It's my opinion that next to "Miss Mary Mack", "Tweedleelee" {or some approximation of that word} is the most well known handclap rhyme among African Americans in Pittsburgh, Pa area.

I should digress and say that my primary sources for these rhymes were African American girls and boys 6-12 years old in the Pittsburgh PA area. The children were participants in ongoing cultural sessions or once a year outreach cultural presentations that I conducted on African American game songs & rhymes {1997-2004}. As a regular part of both of these programs, I would ask children if they knew any rhymes or cheers. In time, both girls and boys at the weekly sessions would readily volunteer to "do" a rhyme. However, at the once a year presentations, it was mostly girls who volunteered. In the weekly sessions while the children performed a rhyme, I would tape record it and write down its words, But in the more time sensitive presentation format, I would usually just tape record the rhymes, and transcribe them once I got home. However,sometimes at the presentations, as was the case with this particular rhyme, I was able to ask the children to repeat the rhyme more slowly without peforming the handclap routine and other children joining in the recitation so I could be reasonably sure I written it down correctly. Since in most case, these rhymes hadn't been written down before, the children didn't know the "correct" spelling for some of the words. Mayve there isn't any "correct" spelling. At any rate, sometimes I had to "guestimate" the spelling of a word or phrase or sound.

With regard to "Tweedleelee" I should also mention that often the adult coordinators at the outreach sites didn't want the children to recite "Tweedleelee". Stay with me..You'll see why...

I've also had adults {African American} from Pittsburgh recite a version of "Tweedleelee" from their memory of the 1970s. And I've had a woman from New York City {Brooklyn/Puerto Rican descent}; a woman from Norfolk, VA {Samoan/Filipino descent; and a woman from Erie, Pennsylvania {African American}send me a written copy of their version of "Tweedleelee". Admittedly this is a small sample, but I'm believe this rhyme is probably known elsewhere and probably crosses racial lines.

Here is one version of "Tweedleelee":

Warning..Warning..

"Tweedleelee" has some raunchy lyrics. The New York version is by far the "naughtiest" that I've collected. Sorry, I'm not going to post that one. But here's one from Pittsburgh, PA's Northview Heights housing development, 1999:

ROCKIN ROBIN
Tweedleelee.
Treetop.
Tweedleelee.
My Prop.
Tweedleelee
Popsicle, popsicle.
your butt stinks.

He rocks in the tree top
all day long
ah huffin and ah puffin
and ah singin his song.
All the little birds on Jay Bird street
Loves to hear the robin go
TWEET TWEET TWEET

Rockin Robin
Tweet Tweetdalee
Rockin Robin
Tweet Tweetdalee

Mama's in the kitchen
cookin rice.
Daddy's outside
shootin dice
Brother's in jail
raisin bail
Sister's on the corner
Sellin FRUIT COCKTAIL *

I went downtown
to get ah stick of butter.
I saw James Brown
layin in the gutter.
I saw an piece of glass
stickin in his butt **
I never saw a Black man
run so fast


*Informants outside of Pittsburgh, particularly Yasmin H.
from New York City wrote that when reciting these line, girls will
stop the hand clap routine and suggestively pat their bodies from their hips down to their thighs and also rock their hips in time
to the beat.

** this may have originally been the word 'ass'

There are some slight variations in this rhyme from the introduction on, but all the variants I received and transcribed basically have these same lyrics.

Does anyone here know this rhyme? If so, will you admit it?