My youngest sister is helping me with this post. She's just left Primary 7 (she's 12, in other words), so her 'help' should contain pretty modern versions. But all the rhymes are from MY memory unless stated otherwise. --- My sister's version of "A-B-C-Together" goes:
Put your hands together, fingers pointing at the person opposite. A (slap backs of left hands together, own palms still joined) B (same with the back of right hands) C (A but stay together, rather than slapping past) Together (each clap right hand against own left hand) Up (Right hands clap above the 'together' hands) Together (bring back together) Down (Right hands clap below the 'together' hands) Together (bring back together) Back (slap backs of hands together with other person, palms facing you) To front (clap palms with the other person [ie, above^ but backwards]) knee (touch knee with right hand) To toe (touch foot with right hand) Wiggle your bum (basically, do 'the Twist') Around you go (spin on the spot) Pull the chain (make a 'pulling chain' action) Start again. --- We had various un-inventive taunts, too
I'm tellin on you Yer eyes are blue You kissed a boy In Prim'ry 2
(with various, less inventive, badly rhyming versions. My sister informs me this is now a song, not a chant.)
I'm tellin Yer smellin You went t'the techer's weddin --- Oddly, I'd forgotten the most common skipping and 'choosing It' rhymes. It is hopefully obvious which is which:
Down Mississippi If you miss the rope Yer out Yer out (done REALLY fast, or possibly with two ropes)
Eenie Meenie Mynie Mo Catch a tigger by the toe If it/he squeals, let it/him go Eenie Meenie Mynie Mo You Are Not It.
Yes, TIGGER, not tiger. I have since been told this came from "N****r" - thankfully, that one was never used at my school. --- My sister knows another version of a 'choosing It' game, which goes "Coconut coconut coconut CRACK." Everyone starts with two clasped hands; when these are 'cracked' they split into two seperate fists. Again, both fists must be out before the person is 'out'. --- Clapping game: My auntie Anna Plays the piana [no, we don't usually pronounce it like that] 24 hours a day SPLIT [and with each "SPLIT" you move your feet a little bit further apart, then repeated the verse, still clapping. You had to try not to fall over - and, of course, try to stay on a level where you could still clap with your partner.] --- The whole "I had a baby brother" rhyme seems to be listed on manymanydifferentsitesonline (even a video), with slightly different lyrics/words, and no mention of a poet/author (except Nadine Bernard Westcott, who has apparently adapted it to a picture-book). So, my bad. Not a poem. I definately read it from a book of children's poetry, but maybe it was written by our dear friend Anon.
Hope all those links work. --- As for Mickey Mouse:
As for games 'choosing it', I believe the Mickey Mouse one (mentioned earlier) went (in our various accents):
Mickey Mouse/Moose In his house/hoose Pulling up/on his trousers/troosers They fall down [something something] What colour are his pants/is his bum? [person landed on]-Blue[or other colour] (and apparently there's no "B-L-U-E spells blue" stuff - the person who chants the rhyme has already picked a colour - if you said THEIR colour, you were it. I remembered it as being far more rude...perhaps that seemed shocking to me then?) --- There was another one that ended: O-U-T O-U-T O-U-T spells out! --- And...I think I may have finally exhausted all of my remembered playground rhymes. Phew! I was writing them all over my and on the bus home!