In re-reading my post, I just realized that although the children I have heard recite this verse always say "he had a piece of glass stuck up his butt" the two versions that I posted say "i stuck a piece of glass up his {ass}".

All these years that I have heard this rhyme recited {since 1997} I've been trying to figure out why James Brown has a piece of glass stuck in his butt. I'm such a nice girl that it didn't occur to me that someone stick some glass up his butt.

Btw, I think the reference to "James Brown" in this rhyme dates back to old children's rhymes about Buster Brown and later Charlie Brown going downtown...