Hmm. That song is usually given as "St. Louis Blues" :o)

I've no doubt that Irving Berlin wrote a song which included the "if you don't like my peaches" verse, but I do doubt that he coined that verse.

I therefore agree with GUEST,CandyMan that "The Irving Berlin attribution appears to be a bogus Urban Legend - until a valid source is found."

-snip-

I should mention that I didn't start this thread to rebut this attribution, in fact I knew nothing about any association what so ever that Irving Berlin had with this verse.

I'm interested in tracking down early sources for floating lines in English language children's playground rhymes/cheers. I've been wondering about that "if you don't like my apples, don't shake my tree" line for awhile. It sounded familiar, and I thought it was from some Blues song, but I couldn't remember which one.

**

BTW, the first line in that children's rhyme that I gave in my second post to this thread was supposed to read:

I'll BE

I'll be. I'll be.
Walking down the street,
Ten times a week.
Un-gawa. Un-gawa {baby}
This is my power.
What is the story?
What is the strike?
I said it, I meant it.
I really represent it.
Take a cool cool Black to knock me down.
Take a cool cool Black to knock me out.
I'm sweet, I'm kind.
I'm soul sister number nine.
Don't like my apples,
Don't shake my tree.
I'm a Castle Square Black
Don't mess with me.

Source: John Langstaff, Carol Langstaff Shimmy Shimmy Coke-Ca-Pop!, A Collection of City Children's Street Games & Rhymes {Garden City, New York, Double Day & Co; p. 57; 1973)