The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #94034   Message #1867005
Posted By: Azizi
24-Oct-06 - 03:57 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
Subject: RE: Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
That's an interesting combination of rhymes, Guest guess who.

Though I won't try to guess your name, I'd love to know what city/state or nation {if outside of the USA} that you live in. I'm interested in that information as a means of documenting how widely known this rhyme is and where this particular version came from. And to further document this version, I'd also love to know when you learned it {by year or decade such as 2006 or "in the early 1990s"}

I've heard versions of the "see that house upon the hill" lines [that end with the line cmon girls let's do it right" used in the
"I Love Coffee/I Love Tea" rhymes {also known as "Down Down Baby" and "Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pa"}. But the version of the last line that I've usually heard is "come on baby let's shoot some dice"}

I first heard the "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" lines recited by themselves in a footstomping cheer {Pittsburgh, PA area 1999}.
The cheer was recited by African American girls ages 7-14 years old}. Bang Bang Choo Choo trains lines are very common in the Brick Wall Water Fall rhymes that were popularized by the 2003 movie "Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star". In the example that Guest Guess Who posted the "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" lines start with the words "i cant" and end with the 2nd time the words "left, right" are said.

The last section of this example {beginning with "ooh shoo walla walla ooh"} or similar sounding words is found in a number of contemporary dance style cheerleader cheers. Its increased popularity may be at least partially credited to the 2000 and 2006 "Bring It On" cheerleader movies.

If interested in reading examples of children's rhymes that include the "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train" lines, visit this and other pages of my website: http://www.cocojams.com/taunting_rhymes.htm