Here's a repost from

GOING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN,TWO BY TWO
Going round the mountain, two by two.
Going round the mountain, two by two.
Going round the mountain, two by two.

Tell me who loves sugar and candy.
Let me see your motion, two by two.
Let me see your motion, two by two.
Let me see your motion, two by two.      

We can do you motion. two by two.
We can do you motion. two by two.
We can do you motion. two by two.
Tell me who loves sugar and candy.
-Traditional African American game song, various sources;
posted by Azizi, 2004

Editor:
"Going Round The Mountain, Two by Two" is a traditional African American "show me your motion" ring game (circle game). From my reading it appears that the way this game was played traditionally was that girls and boys of different ages (and sometimes adults) form a circle without holding hands. One person stands in the middle of the circle. The group chants in unison, claps their hands and moves to the song's rhythm. On the words "let me see your motion", the person in the middle performs a dance step or some other movement. The group then tries to exactly imitate that movement. The song usually continues with the group saying "Who do you choose?" Traditionally, the middle player would purposefully choose another player (usually if the middle player was a boy, he would choose a girl or vice versa).

I don't recall this song from my childhood {Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1950s}. I also don't recall ever observing it being played in Pittsburgh, PA where I've lived since 1969. I'm curious to know if this game has survived elsewhere, and how it is played then & now.

However, it's interesting to me to note that the middle person was always chosen at random when I was growing up, and playing "show me your motion" circle games. And, from my observations, African American children in Pittsburgh, PA in the late 20th century to date {2007} are still choosing the next middle person, at random, the same way that my friends and I did way back in the 1950s in New Jersey.

Here's how I recall and have seen the next middle person being selected: At a specific point in the song, the middle player closes her or is or her eyes, covers her eyes with one hand, and while still in the center of the circle, turns around pointing at random to the other players making up the circle. The person who the middle player is pointing to at the end of the song is the new middle person. The former middle person then re-joins the other players and the song begins again. Traditionally, these types of games don't end until everyone has had a turn in the middle of the circle. But currently, when the children get tired of playing that particular song, they move on to another song-this is if they are even playing these games at all...and-with very rare exceptions-I believe that very few children know and play "show me your motion" and other singing circle games. The game song "Going to Kentucky" [listed below] appears to be a rare exception.

**

I'm wondering if the change from purposeful to random selection of the middle person reflects a change in values, and in parenting/community raising children, and other heavy duty psycho-social dynamics. For instance, in my experience from 1997-2005 facilitating after-school and summer groups for {predominately} African American girls and boys, ages 5-12 years old, in Pittsburgh, and some neighborhing Pittsburgh communities, there's no question that most of the children were almost totally unfamiliar with show me your motion games {the only exception was "Going To Kentucky". This game is including in some school music textbooks. Maybe that's the reason why it is known to these children}.

Many children who attended the game song groups I facilitated where afraid of being selected as the middle person. They were unused to being the center of attention, and they were afraid that they would be teased. This fear of being teased was well founded. However, my groups had a "no teasing" rule. One of the best outcomes of those groips was that over a period of time [two of these groups met once a week for three years], some of the shyest, most fearful of being teased children were eager to be selected to be in the middle. These children not only reinforced their self-esteem and self-confidence but learned that they could count on their peers to treat them respectfully.

Maintaining an attitude of expectant readiness and being able to think quickly and creatively are cognitive skills and survival skills that are important skills for children to develop and reinforce today. I believe that random selection of the middle person can help children develop and reinforce these skills.

When the middle player is chosen at random, players never know when they will be picked to go into the middle of the ring. Therefore, every player has to be ready to quickly take his or her turn as the middle person. The middle person is also expected to perform a different 'motion' or perform the same motion slightly differently than anyone else has done before him or her. Therefore children learn that they need to think ahead and have a "Plan A" and a "Plan B" in case someone 'takes their move'.

This practice of selecting a different movement [often a dance step with older, or more confident children] lives on in various foot stomping cheers that I collected from the 1980s, but that's a whole 'nuther subject.

[Note: In the children's groups which I coordinated, with smaller children and some older ones, this 'rule' that the new middle person had to select a different movement' was largely suspended].