Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,Bona Date: 14 Nov 18 - 09:10 PM Does anyone know a rhyme that goes something like itameda datameda oowatawarameda? Spelling is way off I’m sure |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,Helpful Peter Date: 07 Mar 17 - 09:00 AM In the land of France Where the alligators dance One wouldn't dance So they shot him in the pants The pants he wore Cost a dollar forty four ...(pause)... pluuuus taaaax |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,My poor memory Date: 13 Jan 12 - 11:04 PM There's a place in France where the Alligators dance and the dance they do was invented by Magoo but Magoo can't dance so they kicked him in the pants and the pants he wore cost a dollar ninety four, plus tax but the tax was wrong so they had to sing a song and the song they sang went like this..... Another valley girl version. I grew up in the San Fernando valley which is a suburb of LA county. Right next door to Simi Vally. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,blondiegal397 Date: 21 Mar 11 - 01:27 AM Whenever I was little we used to sing: "Miss Suzie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell, ding ding! Miss Suzie went to heaven, the steamboat went to...hell-O operator, give me number 9, and if you disconnect me, I'll chop off your be-HIND the fridgerator, there laid a piece of glass, Miss Suzie sat upon it and broke her little ASK me no more questions, tell me no more lies, the boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their FLIES are in the meadows, bees are in their hives, Miss Suzie and her boyfriend are kissing in the D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K Dark, dark, dark darker than the ocean, darker than the sea, darker than the underwear my grandma puts on me. My mother is from Jupiter, my father is from France, my sister is the stupid one who made me sing this song." (Not sure how to really spell most of this, so I'm gonna try?) "Bo, bo see ya-in-taut-in nay, nay, I am BOOM BOOM BOOM, itty bitty ya-in-taut-in, bo, bo see ya-in-taut-in, bo, bo see ya-in-taut-in BOOM." ---I remember my friends and I always had competitions to see who could sing and do the hand motions the fastest. "Miss Sue, Miss Sue, Miss Sue from Alabama, sittin' in a rocker, Eatin' Betty Crocker, watching the clock go Tick tock, tick tock Banana rock, Tick tock, tick tock Banana rock, A-B-C-D-E-F-G, wash those boys germs off of me, got a cramp in my side, got a cramp in my side, don't move!" "Down down baby, down by the roller coaster, sweet sweet baby, never never let me go, shimmy shimmy cocoa puff, shimmy shimmy WOW, shimmy shimmy cocoa puff, shimmy shimmy BREAKDOWN. I like coffee, I like tea, I like the boys and the boys like me, Grandma grandma, sick in bed, called the doctor and the doctor said 'Let's get the rhythm of the head DING-DONG! Let's get the rhythm of the hands (clap twice) Let's get the rhythm of the feet (stomp twice) Let's get the rhythm of the HOTTTT DOGGG (move body in circular motion) Put it all together and what do you get? DING-DONG, (clap clap) (stomp stomp) HOTTT DOGGG. Put it all backwards and what do you get? HOTTT DOGGG, (stomp stomp) (clap clap) DING-DONG!" "Miss Suzie had a baby, she named him Tiny Tim, she put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim. He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap, he tried to eat the bathtub, but it wouldn't go down his throat. Miss Suzie called the doctor, the doctor called the nurse, the nurse called the lady with the alligator purse (says matter-of-factly everytime you say this part) In came the doctor, in came the nurse, in came the lady with the alligator purse. "Flu" said the doctor, "Allergies" said the nurse, nothing said the lady with the alligator purse. Out went with the doctor, out went with the nurse, BOOM went with the lady with the alligator purse!" "Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack! All dressed in black, black, black! With silver buttons, buttons, buttons All down her back, back, back She asked her mother, mother, mother For fifty cents, cents, cents To see the elephants, elephants, elephants Jump over the fence, fence, fence They jumped so high, high, high They touched the sky, sky, sky And didn't come back, back, back Till the fourth of July, July, July." "Double double this, this, double double that, that. Double this, double that, double double this that!" (sometimes we'd substitute with words such as Double double straw, straw, double double berry, berry. double straw, double berry, double double strawberry! Make hands into fists, hit fists with the other person as the two say "double double" then open up hands so fingers are pointing up, clap hands with other person-double high five basically- at word "this" and then palms facing towards you at "that"-so backs of hands are hitting the backs of the other person's hands.) "Down by the banks of the hanky panky, where the bull-frogs jump from bank to banky, with an Ooh, eee, ooh ahhh, he's off his lily with a big KER-PLOP!" (this was always fun to do in Girl Scouts, we'd sit in one big circle, hand in hand basically, slap each other's hands around the circle...whoever's hand was slapped at PLOP was out of the circle.) "Apples on a stick, make me sick, makes my heart go 246. Not because I'm pretty, not because I'm clean, not because I kiss the boy behind the magazine. Hey girl, wanna pick a fight? Meet me on the corner on a Saturday night. She can wibble, she can wobble, she can do the splits, but I betcha $5 she can't do this. Close your eyes, and count to 10, don't say 8 or you have to kiss your boyfriend!" (We were always teasing each other if one of us said 8, and saying 'Oh you have to go kiss the boy you like now!!' TORTURE for a 7 year old!) "I don't wanna go to Mexico no more, more, more, there's a big fat policeman at my door, door, door. He took me by the hips, kissed me on the lips, I don't wanna go to Mexico no more, more, more. I WANNA go to Mexico some more, more, more, there's a real cute guy at the door, door, door. He grabbed me by the hips, kissed me on the lips, I WANNA go to Mexico some more, more, more!" Or: A bunch of us standing in a circle, one would go in the middle, and skip around the circle, and we'd sing: "Little Sally Walker, walking down the street, she didn't know what to do, so she stopped in front of me and said 'Hey girl (or boy) do your thang, do your thang, SWITCH. Hey girl/boy do your thang, do your thang SWITCH." (The kid in the middle had to stop in front of someone at the line "Stopped in front of me" and do some crazy dance move or whatever, then the kid he/she stopped in front of me jumped in the middle of the circle at the first "SWITCH" and had to copy the other. Then he/she would be the next person skipping around the circle.) My friends and I liked to sing these while we jumped rope: "Cinderella, dressed in yella, Went upstairs to kiss a fella, Made a mistake, kissed a snake, How many doctors will it take? 1-2-3-4...." (proceed to count until your foot hits the rope or the two others twirling the rope purposefully swings it so you can't jump it.) "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn around (turn around) Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Touch the ground (touch the ground) Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Tie your shoe (hit your shoe) Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, How old are you? 1-2-3-4..........." |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST Date: 18 Nov 09 - 12:08 AM This has got a great hand jive that goes with it. I don't know how y'all learned it but it has like ten steps to it that repeat. _________ MISS SUZY Miss Suzy had a steam boat The steam boat had a bell DING DING Miss Suzy went to heaven The steam boat went to Hello operator Please give me number nine And if you disconnect me I'll chop off your Behind the frigerator There lay a piece of glass Miss Suzy sat upon it And broke her little Ask me no more questions I'll tell you no more lies The boys are in the bathroom Zipping up their Flies are in the meadow The bees are in the park Miss Suzy and her boyfriend Are kissing in the D-A-R-K D-A-R-K dark dark dark dark The dark is like a movie A movie's like a show A show is like a TV screen And that is all I know I know I know my Ma I know I know my Pa I know I know my sister With a forty acre bra My Ma gave me a nickle My Pa gave me a dime My sister gave me her boyfriend And we are kissing all the time My Ma took away her nickle My Pa took away his dime My sister took away her boyfriend And gave me Frankenstein He made me do the dishes He made me clean the floor He made me wash his underwear So I kicked him out the door I kicked him over London I kicked him over France I kicked him to Hawaii Where he learned the hula dance ______________ MISS MARY MACK Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack All dressed in black black black With silver buttons buttons buttons All down her back back back She asked her mother mother mother For fifteen cents cents cents To see the elephants elephants elephants Jump over the fence fence fence The jumped so high high high They touched the sky sky sky And didn't come back... Till the fourth of July-ly-ly |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Mr Happy Date: 28 Oct 09 - 11:36 AM a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEeeGMpM_Nk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEeeGMpM_Nk |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Date: 28 Oct 09 - 11:14 AM I heard - and did - a lot of those verses, above, when I was a youngster in the 1940's and '50's. However, the term "hand jive" was unknown to me in those days. Then, in around 1957, Johnnie Otis did "Willie and the Hand Jive," which became a top selling record at the time: I know a cat named Way Out Willie He's got a cool little chick named Rockin' Nillie He can walk and stroll and Susie Q And do that crazy hand jive too / G - - - / / C7 - - - / G - - - / Papa told Willie, you'll ruin my home You and that hand jive have got to go Willie said, Papa, don't put me down They're doin' the hand jive all over town Hand jive, hand jive, hand jive, doin' that crazy hand jive / C7 - G - D7 C7 G - / Mama, Mama look at Uncle Joe He's doin' that hand jive with sister Flo Grandma gave baby sister a dime Said, do that hand jive one more time Well, the doctor and the lawyer and Indian chief They all dig that crazy beat Way Out Willie gave 'em all a treat When he did that hand jive with his feet / Hand jive... Willie and Nillie got married last fall They had a little Willie Junior, and a-that ain't all You know, the baby got famous in his crib, you see Doin' that hand jive on TV / Hand jive... |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,Asha Date: 27 Oct 09 - 02:26 PM Hand Jives from WI Down down baby, down by the rollercoaster Sweet sweet baby, never gonna let ya go. Caught you with your boyfriend, naughty naughty Didn't do the dishes, like lazy lazy Jumped out the window, like crazy crazy Bop bop a little little, do wah a bop a little Ahtchi catchi liveratchi, how 'bout you? Tutti fruiti! ________ Down by the banks of the hanky panky Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky With a hip, hop, shooby do-op And they all jumped in with a keeer-plop! ________ Concentration, rehabilitation, concentration, this is how you play. First you take a bowling ball and then you roll it down the hall... I don't remember the rest to that last one, does anyone know that one? |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 08 Jun 09 - 02:36 PM Thanks to Guest kristy 27 Dec 08 , GUEST,Dori 27 Mar 09 - 04:18 PM, Guest friend 01 Jun 09 - 05:28 PM, and Guest 08 Jun 09 - 01:30 PM for sharing versions of "playground hand jives" (rhymes) with us. You'll find reading other Mudcat playground rhymes threads that there's lots of examples of these rhymes that can be considered quite "sexy". :o) and sometimes :o( |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST Date: 08 Jun 09 - 01:30 PM I just heard the song on a commercial for Delta faucets. Glad you guys knew the song, I was trying to find the relevence in a sexy song playing while the faucet sashayed erotically around.... Because in 1950's Florida, my mother sang: there's a place in France where the alligators dance. One didn't dance, so the shot him in the pants. couldn't see how that was sexy enough for the commercial :) |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,friend Date: 01 Jun 09 - 05:28 PM This one i am not what it is called but it is what i am doing nay nay see ontin cotton bang bang i am boom boom boom itsy bitsy tiny weinny cotton bang bang i am boom boom boom freeze freeze American cheese dont you lay your (eyes(example)) on me |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,Dori Date: 27 Mar 09 - 04:18 PM I heard it like this: There is a place in France where the ladies hula dance and the dance they do scares the whiskers off a Jew There is a hole in the wall Where the children see it all |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,kristy Date: 27 Dec 08 - 11:41 PM theres a place in france where the alligators dance and the dance they do was written by the jews but the jews couldnt dance so they kicked them in the pants and the pants they wore cost $1.94 |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 06 Dec 08 - 09:30 AM I didn't start this thread, but on behalf of the Mudcat guest who started this discussion, and on behalf of other Mudcat members, I'd like to thank CutieFromGA for posting those examples. Thanks also, CutiefromGA, for indicating where you learned those rhymes. CutiefromGeorgia, please join Mudcat. Membership is free & easy. Just click the membership at the top of the page, and follow the instructions that are shown. ** Susan of DT, LOL! As for my age, the only way I would want to be younger is if I could remember all I've learned so far, and not have to repeat any mistakes I made, and not have to make any other {perhaps far worse} mistakes. But anyway, I'm young at heart, and so are you. :o) |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Susan of DT Date: 06 Dec 08 - 06:11 AM I put Dutch Girl in the DT, with the motions, quite a long time ago: I AM A PRETTY LITTLE DUTCH GIRL I am a pretty little Dutch girl As pretty as pretty can be And all the boys around my way Go crazy over me My boyfriend's name was fatty He comes from Cincinnati With a pimple on his nose And three black toes And this is how my story goes ... This was a clapping game in Brooklyn in the '50s The motions were as follows: two girls sat facing each other within clapping distance clap self, clap right hands, clap self, clap left hands, clap both hands with other, hands on own shoulders, clap on own knees, repeat. There are more verses @kids filename[ DUTCHGRL SOF I don't know the shop verse Azizi quoted, but do know the rest, but One day when I was walking, I saw my true love talking, To a pretty little girl With a strawberry curl, And this is what he said: I L-O-V-E love you All the T-I-M-E time, And I'll K-I-S-S kiss you Tomorrow night at nine. Lulu had a Steamboat is also in the DT, along with some other "teaser somes", but they did not have motions, nor were used for jumprope or ball. A my name is Alice was a ball bouncing rhyme and I think the ball went under the leg at the last word of the line. I don't remember what we did with: Oh they don't wear pants On the other side of France But they do wear grass Just to cover up their ass... We did ball bouncing to: I saw London, I saw France I saw ________'s underpants Are they white? Are they pink? I don't know, but they sure stink Brooklyn in the 1950s Azizi - I looked up your profile - we are almost exactly the same age. I don't know why I thought you were younger. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,CutieFromGa Date: 05 Dec 08 - 11:37 PM Slide baby sliiide baby 1 baby 2, baby 1, 2 sliiide baby 1 baby 2 baby baby 3.. etc baby 1, 2, 3 (in between each number the back of hit other's hands are suppose to hit meeting to the palm side |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,CutieFromGA Date: 05 Dec 08 - 11:02 PM I'm a Nut I'm a nut (clap clap**) in a hut (clap clap) I show my butt in pizza hut so what?! I'm craz-y I'm fool-ish I'm crazy, I'm foolish, I'm crazy, I'm foolish so what! (the left and right hand clapping each others would facing horizontally but the opposite of the other** ex: my left on top of other players right, her left on top of my right) (Don't remember the title to this next one or the first half of it so I'll just post what I know) Eighteen nineteen blueberry street I told my mama what he did and this is was she said Girls go to college to get more knowledge boys go to jupiter to get more stupider (how ironic lol) boys drink beer to get more weird girls drink wine to get more fine For 'Down Down Baby' our ordering was different here in Atlanta we did Let's get the rhythm of the head ding dong... etc (the ding dong part came first) "put it all to together what do ya get ding dong (head side to side) clap clap stomp stomp hooot dooog (move your body like a snake)" and then did it all in reverse of course "do it all backwards and what do you get hooot doog stomp stomp clap clap ding dong, other than that everything was the same (except we didn't say color, we said black, must be an era thing) For 'I don't wanna go to Mexico' we put Shame Shame Shame in front of it (the back of our left and right hand would be against each others and we used our outside hands to clap our own hands that were against each others and meet each others hand at the top, our own in the middle and then each others at the bottom again) |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,JD - slight change Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:56 AM In the land of Oz Where the ladies smoke cigars Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake When the snakes are dead They put roses in their head When the roses die They put diamonds in their eye when the diamonds break It's the end of 58 of course this can change to 98, 2008 JD July 28, 2008 |
Subject: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,JD Date: 28 Jul 08 - 09:52 AM In response to Sarah June 9, 2005 In the land of Oz Where the ladies smoke cigars Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake When the snakes are dead They put roses in their head When the roses die They put diamonds in their eye when the diamonds break It's the end of 1958 of course this can change to 1998, 2008 JD July 28, 2008 |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST Date: 27 Jun 08 - 05:06 PM National Children's Folksong Repository http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ncfr/ record what you remember and lets put it up for us to hear! |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,woodcote Date: 12 May 08 - 04:51 PM Many of these rhymes came directly from the US to England during the 1940's Burtonwood was ahuge US base and servicemen spread out across Lancashire 'I like coffee...' was common in the playgrounds of Preston in the 1960's Quinnio coco was a well known game but involving throwing a ball Queenio coco who's got the ballio I haven't got it It isn't in mu pocket Queenio coco who's got the ballio |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 03 May 08 - 10:56 PM Hey, Mom from Bama! I just saw your three examples. Thanks for posting them! I hope you and other guests who post rhymes on Mudcat come back and share some more rhymes and join in the other conversations here. Best wishes, Azizi |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,MOM from BAMA Date: 02 May 08 - 10:58 PM I have never heard of most of these I think it is just according where you live. I have two small girls and here is a few of the one's they are always doing. MOMMA MOMMA CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT THIS BABY HAS DONE TO ME TOOK AWAY MY MTV NOW I'M STUCK WATCHING BARNEY BARNEY GOT SHOT BY G.I. JOE NOW I'M WATCHING COSBY SHOW COSBY SHOW GOT FIRED NOW I'M GETTING TIRED DOUBLE DOUBLE THIS THIS DOUBLE DOUBLE THAT THAT DOUBLE THIS DOUBLE THAT DOUBLE DOUBLE THIS THAT MIS SUE MIS SUE MIS SUE FROM ALABAMA LETS MAKE A MOVIE SITTING IN A ROCKING CHAIR EATING BETTY CROCKER WATCHING THE CLOCK SAY TICK TOCK BOOM BOOM BANANA TICK TOCK BOOM BOOM BANANA HEY LITTLE WHITE GIRL WHATCHA GOING TO DO MOMMA GOT THE MESALS DADDY GOT THE FLU GIVE ME A ABCDEFG HIJKLMNOP TAKE A FLU SHOT TAKE A FLU SHOT AND FREEZE |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 29 Apr 08 - 07:11 PM Hey, Judy {I started to write "Hey Jude" which is another great song} :o} As to your question, yes, I think that whoever wrote that "Java Jive" song knew about the children's rhyme "I Love Coffee, I Love Tea". But I don't have any proof that he or she or they knew that rhyme. Maybe somebody else has some documentation about that {perhaps somebody asked the song writer/s that question in an interview}/ That would be great. Well, maybe great is too superlative a word. But it sure would be good. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,Fiddlefish Date: 29 Apr 08 - 06:01 PM Is it possible that the "I love coffee" jump rope jingle is related to the popular Ink Spots song of the 40s, "Java Jive": I love coffee, I love tea I love the java jive and it loves me Coffee and tea and the jivin' and me A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup! Judy |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 05 Apr 08 - 07:37 PM Tem42 and others write about the "There's A Place In France" rhymes in this discussion thread: http://everything2.com/title/There%2520is%2520a%2520place%2520in%2520France There is a place in France; cvs bag; Jan 21 2000 Here's an excerpt from Tem42's Jan 15 2003 post to that thread: "There are a number of children's rhymes based around this melody; for more information about the melody and it's original lyric, see "Streets Of Cairo". This writeup, on the other hand, will be devoted to the modern mutations of this tune as preformed by the children of America (and probably other countries, too). These various versions of the song are often adapted as clapping rhymes and jump rope rhymes. First of all, it should be noted that since the seventies, France has more and more frequently been replaced with Mars. I don't know why this is, but it seems to fit in well with the song's drift into nonsense. I won't try to put the various lyrics I've found in chronological order, but I will start with the older 'France' version, and 'progress' to the 'Mars' version" -snip- Tem42 then posts a number of examples of these rhymes. Some of his {her?} risque, and/or "politically incorrect" examples aren't included in this Mudcat thread. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 05 Apr 08 - 07:13 PM A poster on this website http://everything2.com/title/Streets%2520Of%2520Cairo Streets Of Cairo, Tem42; Jan 15 2003 shares a number of examples of In The Land of France"; "There's A Place On Mars" etc, similar to those already provided on this thread However, what is intriguing is that Tem42 provides some information about the origin of the melody and the source song that was used for those children's rhymes. In case that website becomes unavailable, for the sake of folkloric information sharing and study, I'm going to quote post the words of that source song along with Yem42's comments about it. "Sol Bloom claimed to have been the first to set down the melody*, as the theme to the 'Cairo' section of the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. The melody has been used in a number of compositions, but perhaps the best known lyric is Streets Of Cairo, or The Poor Little Country Maid, written by James Thornton (1895). His wife, Bonnie Thornton, helped boost its popularity by singing it on the vaudeville stage. Here are Thornton's lyrics: I will sing you a song, And it won't be very long, 'Bout a maiden sweet, And she never would do wrong, Ev'ryone said she was pretty, She was not long in the city, All alone, oh, what a pity, Poor little maid. Chorus She never saw the streets of Cairo, On the Midway she had never strayed, She never saw the kutchy, kutchy, Poor little country maid. She went out one night, Did this innocent divine, With a nice young man, Who invited her to dine, Now he's sorry that he met her, And he never will forget her, In the future he'll know better, Poor little maid. Chorus She was engaged, As a picture for to pose, To appear each night, In abbreviated clothes, All the dudes were in a flurry, For to catch her they did hurry, One who caught her now is sorry, Poor little maid. Chorus She was much fairer far than Trilby, Lots of more men sorry will be, If they don't try to keep way from this Poor little country maid. * It may have much older roots; see http://www.shira.net/streets-of-cairo.htm and http://64.33.34.112/.CAL/tt1.html for more info. " -snip- [Unfortunately, that link no long works as of the date of this posting] Does anyone know more information about this "Streets of Cairo" song? |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST Date: 27 Jul 07 - 10:16 PM Hi All, In Brooklyn, in the late 50s and very early 60s: All the girls in France Do the hula hula dance And the way they shake Is enough to kill a snake When the snake is dead They put roses on his head When the roses die They put 1959. (I recall doing this to hula-hooping) "Dutch Girl" I'm a little Dutch girl dressed in blue Here are the things I'm taught to do Salute to the captain Bow to the queen Turn my back on the US Marines (No idea what this meant) "Checkoslovakia" (A circle clapping game) Checkoslovakia, boom, boom, boom Now, Yugoslavia, boom, boom, boom. Let's get the rhythm of the hands (clap clap) We've got the rhythm of the hands (clap clap) Let's get the rhythm of the feet (clap clap) We've got the rhythm of the feet (clap clap) Let's get the rhythm of the eyes (clap clap) We've got the rhythm of the eyes (clap clap) Let's get the rhythm of the number nine (clap clap) We've got the rhythm of the number ... (clap clap) (Then you count one at a time by fives starting with 5 until someone is out.) "Miss Lucy" Miss lucy had a baby She called him Tiny Tim She put him in the bathtub To see if he could swim He drank up all the water He ate up all the soap He tried to eat the bathtub but it wouldn't fit down his throat Miss Lucy called the doctor Miss Lucy called the nurse Miss Lucy called the lady with the alligator purse (something ending in "tion") said the doctor (something ending in "tion") said the nurse Operation said the lady with the alligaor purse. Out came the water Out came the soap Out came the bathtub that wouldn't fit down his throat. Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? (name) stole the cookies from the cookie jar Who me? Yes you. Couldn't be! Then who? (other name) stole the cookies from the cookie jar. Etc "When I Was a Baby" When I was a baby, a baby, a baby When I was a baby boom boom boom It was crying this-a-way Crying that-a-way Crying this-a-way Boom boom boom (This goes through "child," "teenager kissing," then I think "when I got married" and then "had a baby" then "when my husband died" ending with When I died, dies, died, When I dies boom boom boom It was six feet under, six feet under, six feet under boom boom boom. There was also some rhyme that had "the bomb" in it in some form but I can't really remember it. I'll have to try harder! |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,celtaddict at the library Date: 11 Jul 07 - 09:36 AM In Oklahoma in the 1950s it was There's a place in France Where the alligators dance And the dance they do Was invented by a Jew And the Jew wouldn't dance So they kicked him in the pants And the pants he wore Cost a dollar ninety-four Plus tax. And Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, Think I'll go eat worms. Great big slimy ones, short fat juicy ones, See how they wiggle and squirm. Bite their heads off, suck their guts out, Throw the skins away. Nobody knows how a man can thrive on Worms three times a day. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 11 Jul 07 - 12:13 AM Here's three more examples from http://blogs.herald.com/dave_barrys_blog/2005/05/a_readers_plea.html {and there's lots more} but I thought these were interesting from a folkloric point of view: I LEARNED: there's a place called france where the naked ladies dance there's a hole in the wall where the men can see it all but the men don't care cause they're wearing underwear and the chones that they choose cost a dollar fifty two (2007) MY MOM LEARNED: there's a place called Mars where the ladies smoke cigars and the men don't care so they eat their underwear (1969) MY GRANDMA LEARNED: there's a place in France where the ladies wear the pants and the dance they do is enough to kill a Jew (in racist 1936) Posted by: Lopsi on June 17, 2007 |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 10 Jul 07 - 11:59 PM GUEST,aah, here are some examples from http://blogs.herald.com/dave_barrys_blog/2005/05/a_readers_plea.html that may be similar to the rhyme that you've asked about: I was born in Florida, so I think this must be the Florida version There's a place in France Where the alligators dance One didn't dance, so they shot him in the pants The pants that he wore cost a dollar ninety-four So the alligator couldn't wear pants anymore -Neilman ; May 27, 2005 ** I must have grown up with the cleanest version possible...very similar to the version from Florida: There's a place in France where the alligators dance But the dance they do was invented by Magoo and Magoo couldn't dance so they shot him in the pants and the pants he wore cost a dollar ninety four, plus tax, cha cha cha. Of course, I grew up thinking the "Pina Colada song" was the "green enchilada song" LOL -BelovedLamb; May 27, 2005 ** There's a place in France Where the naked ladies dance There's a hole in the wall Where the boys can see it all. -Sherrie Holcomb; May 27, 2005 ** There's a place in France Where the ladies wear no pants But the boys don't care 'Cause they like to see them bare. -Sherrie Holcomb; May 27, 2005 ** There's a place in France where the naked ladies dance There's a whole in the wall so the men can see it all But the men don't care 'cause they wear no underwear -Ryan ; May 27, 2005 ** All the girls in France Do the hootchie-cootchie dance. There's a hole in the wall Where the men can see it all. We also sang (same tune) All the girls in Spain Dance nekkid in the rain. There's a hole in the wall Where the men can see it all. Note, in the above verse, naked must be pronounced NEKKID, or it simply does not work. Not here in Texas, anyway. -LadyBug ; May 27, 2005 ** there's a place in france where the alligators dance but the pants they wore were a dollar ninety four (PLUS tax) this must be the absolute cleanest possible version. i grew up in a part of LA that makes me a "valley girl," always a source of amusement. -kathy ; May 27, 2005 And there are many more including the "In The Land Of Mars" and "In The Land Of Oz" rhymes such as What about this song that is burned in to my memory: In the land of mars where the women smoke cigars every breath they take is enough to kill a snake When the snake is dead the put diamonds in his head when the diamonds break it's in 1968. -Joe E O ; May 27, 2005 ** I think you are all wrong (well, I only read half of them) but it goes: In the land of Oz Where the ladies smoke cigars Every breath they take is enough to kill a snake When the snakes are dead They put roses in their head When the roses die They put diamonds in their eye when the diamonds break It is 1958 -Sarah; June 9, 2005 |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,aah Date: 10 Jul 07 - 11:20 PM WHAT IS THE SONG THAT GOES ..IN THE LAND OF FRANCE WHERE THE ALLIGATORS DANCE. I DON'T NO THE REST |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Mo the caller Date: 02 Jul 07 - 02:12 AM Euuuu! indeed |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: EuGene Date: 01 Jul 07 - 10:23 PM Mo, we eat possum, pork brains, and chitlins (chitterlings) 'round here, so one might surmise that gopher guts may also be standard fare as well. Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Mo the caller Date: 01 Jul 07 - 06:18 PM Hi again. We knew the worm rhyme in london in the early 50's. The first 3 lines much as you posted Then something about ... sticks to your teeth and goes down your throat with a (make a slurping sound). I'd never heard of gopher guts till I joined Mudcat, must be American. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST Date: 01 Jul 07 - 06:10 PM AMAZING - the worm song found in the Digital Tradition!!! WOW!!!
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=1786
Yep, look at that low number, its been round awhile |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST Date: 01 Jul 07 - 05:26 PM OOPS! Guess I missed that somewhere along the line. Around here we say "You the man!" for guy and "Wow, it's Wonder Woman!" for the gals. So, "Wow, it's Wonder Woman!" Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,EuGene Date: 01 Jul 07 - 05:21 PM P.S. The younger 6 - 12 year old nieces & nephews, cousins one removed, etc. won't know what to think when us "kids" in our 50's and 60's start jivin' with this stuff . . . maybe some of us geezers will even jump rope to these playgroung songs and chants. Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 01 Jul 07 - 05:21 PM Well, actually EuGene, I'm a wo-man. :o) |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: GUEST,EuGene Date: 01 Jul 07 - 05:16 PM Az: You the man! Obviously you have been working on this a long time as you already have most of this stuff in your archives. Put me down to buy one of those books whenever you do publish it!! Me and all my sisters can have a Helluva good time chantin' this stuff at our next family reunion. It will definately add a great new touch to our usual karaoke entertainment. Wow!! Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 01 Jul 07 - 04:36 PM EuGene, Here's the rest of the "Nobody Likes Me" rhyme: Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, Guess I'll go eat worms, Long, thin, slimy ones; Short, fat, juicy ones, Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms. Down goes the first one, down goes the second one, Oh how they wiggle and squirm. Up comes the first one, up comes the second one, Oh how they wiggle and squirm. -snip- That version and some other versions of this rhyme are posted on: http://www.bussongs.com/songs/nobody_likes_me_worms.php |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: EuGene Date: 01 Jul 07 - 03:27 PM Az: Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to muddy the water by calling those little jump rope songs "ditties" . . . that's just a descriptive word that I used here to talk about them. I don't recall that we used any sort of name for them except something like "The Annie's steamboat song" or "Grandpa's farm". Best I recall was that we had names for them like that and nothing (like the word "ditty")that was used to identify the genre of songs. Also, I lived in several different places as an elementary student, including Little Rock which was in Central Arkansas (1st & 2nd grade), here in the Ozarks (Kindergarten & 3rd grade), Faifax, VA (4th - 6th grade), York, ME (7th Grade), then returned here in the 8th grade through high school. Of course inasmuch as I was the oldest of 11 kids, I heard all the little songs and chants up until I grew up and lit out on my own. I don't recall that there was a whole lot of differences in the kids' songs and chants between Arkansas, Virginia, and Maine, at least the common ones like Annie's steamboat, "When you see a hearse go by", and "pretty little Dutch girl" which seemed to be pretty common everywhere. I don't recall hearing the "Grandpa's Farm" song anywhere but here, even in different versions as "I like coffee, I like tea" with different lead-in verses. Of course, I could have just as easily not heard some of the songs & chants, although they may have been sung in all of the areas where we lived. Some "ditties" I don't recall hearing as a small child, but would hear them often after I had gotten out of high school . . . one of those that comes to mind is "Nobody loves me, Everybody hates me, I think I'll just eat worms. . . . ?" (don't know the rest) another that I didn't hear until my late teens was the one about "Greasy grimy gopher guts" The above two could well have been around for a while, but had not reached our geographic area until about the time my youngest siblings were going through elementary school. I don't recall ever hearing either in VA or ME, but could have just missed them. We had a song in Virginia the words which I can't recall, but it started out, "We are the Crumb Bums". It had several verses and a chorus which would name a different one of us 4th grade boys each time the chorus was sung. Each of us was given an name line (by the other boys) that rhymed with our name and was inserted at the beginning of a chorus verse . . each time the chorus was sung, a diferent one of us boys was so "headlined". I went by the diminuative, Gene, in those days so, when it came timne for me to be named in the chorus, I was: "Gene, the Bean, The rotten tangerine" Since we were supposed to be "Crumb Bums", we each had less than complimentary two-liners like above that rhymed with our name, always "composed" by all the boys except for the one being so named. I remember hearing some grade school boys singing something with the same tune and very similar words when I was in high school after we had moved back to Arkansas. Gosh, there were so many little "ditties" that kids would sing as I was growing up, and I know that I am omitting a lot of them . . . too many years have gone by and memories fade. But, when I do suddenly recall a few words or a tune used for one of them, it sometimes comes back to my mind. At least this thread has me to thinking. Also, as I visit with my sisters (scattered about the USA) I will ask them to help me recall this stuff. Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 01 Jul 07 - 10:10 AM For the sake of full disclosure, I want to indicate that for the last two and one half years I have been working on a book of children's rhymes. This book will include examples of specific types of rhymes. This book will also include commentary about the structures, text, performance activities of children's rhymes, and meanings {both etymological and psycho-social meanings} of selected rhymes. This book will also include my comments and other's comments about the roles of the mass media and the Internet in the creation and popularization of certain children's rhymes. I have contacted individual Mudcat members for permission to use the examples & comments that they have posted on this thread and other Mudcat threads in this proposed book and also on my website, Cocojams. [However, most of the post on Cocojams come from visitor submissions]. I have also contacted Mudcat's owner and Mudcat's administrator and received permission to include posts from Guests in my book. It is my intention to continue to ask Mudcat members for permission for me to use selected examples & comments that they have posted on this and on other Mudcat threads. I have mentioned this project before on a couple of Mudcat threads including at the end of this post: thread.cfm?threadid=81350#1493554 Prior to that post {and I believe before I talked to Joe Offer and Max Seigel about this project}, I started a Mudct thread specifically referring to this project and my desire to get permission to use selected examples & comments from folks posting here. Also, for the sake of full disclosure, I readily admit that not only does posting on threads such as this one helps me gather examples and information, it also helps me to formulate my thoughts about this subject. From an aesthetic standpoint, I enjoy reading children's rhymes & cheers and I like seeing children perform these rhymes & cheers. I also enjoy collecting children's rhymes and doing "detective work" trying to figure out the source materials and the meanings of slang and other words & phrases used in specific rhymes. I like conversing with others about children's rhymes and cheers. And I consider collecting, documenting, and sharing examples of children's rhymes as one of my "purposes of being". But to the extent that my working on a book on children's rhymes and my having a website on children's rhymes means that I have an ulterior motive in posting to Mudcat threads on children's rhymes and starting Mudcat threads on children's rhymes threads, I plead guilty as charged. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 01 Jul 07 - 07:43 AM Good morning, Mo! Or good whatever time of day where you are! Is you last post regarding A My Name Is? If so, it occurred to me this morning that we also did this while jumping rope. I mean individual jump rope, not group jumping rope with two people turning and one person or more than one person jumping in the middle. Btw, in his June 30th 12:03 AM post EuGene {"from the remote Izarks area of North Arkansas" [USA]} said that the term that they used for "turning rope" was "twirling rope". He also referred to these rhymes or songs as "ditties" but somehow I don't think that children or adults called them ditties. EuGene, what do you remember folks calling these compositions then? And do you know what children in that area call them nowadays? |
Subject: my name is.. From: Mo the caller Date: 01 Jul 07 - 07:21 AM I seem to remember that we played this juggling two balls, not throwing them to each other, it maybe depended where we were. If we were in a playground, we might have bounced them, or if there was a blank wall we could have thrown them against the wall, otherwise just into the air. |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 30 Jun 07 - 11:05 PM Hey, Eugene! That's the first time I heard that Annie was the one with the steamboat. I've heard about Miss Suzie or Miss Susie, Miss Lucy, Miss Molly, Miss Mary, and I think I also heard about Miss Sally, having a steamboat {or a tugboat or even a sailboat}. But Annie?? Hey, why not? :o} With regard to "teacher hit me with a ruler" if you're interested in reading some other examples of what I call "teacher taunts", check out this Mudcat thread: thread.cfm?threadid=2795#1441821 "Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, I Bit the Teacher's Toe!" You may also want to check out the Teacher Taunts page on my website: www.cocojams.com ** Also, there's a number of "___ had a steamboat" rhymes on the schoolyard games page of this website: http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php I also have some examples of "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" on the Handclap & Jumprope Rhymes page of my website. :o) |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: EuGene Date: 30 Jun 07 - 10:36 PM Oh, it just now popped into my mind that the "teacher hit me with a ruler" thing was sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Heaven only knows how that tune came to be used for a song here in the South with all the red necks running around fighting the Civil War even yet! Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: EuGene Date: 30 Jun 07 - 10:32 PM AZ: A lot of activity since I was on yesterday. I didn't know anything about the grandma and hickory stick verse, but since it apparently came from slavery times, it could be more specific to African-American kids. But, mention of the hickory stick did remind me or that old School days song about ". . . readin', writin' and 'rithmetic, taught by the tune of the hick'ry stick." I have a vague memory of one that had the line "Teacher hit me with a ruler" but I just can't get a handle on the thing. Maybe it will come to me later. And, the "Pretty little Dutch girl" verses that you and Mo listed do seem familiar to this old memory, especially where she tells about a boyfriend from Cincinatti, and best I recall, he had a wart on his nose. Anyhoo, the story line may well vary in different geographical areas, but it follows the same basic pattern. I think that is the common thread that ties a lot of these little kids ditties together as they evolved over time as they spread from school to school and neighborhood to neighborhood. Also, Az, like you noted, often the origin of the little song and the meaning behind the original words gets lost over time. Some other little songs from back in the 50's & 60's (when I used to hear them . . . some may still be around?): "Annie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell, the steamboat went to heaven, and annie went to . . . Hell . . .o operator, give me number nine, if you don't, I'll kick you in the . . . Behind . . .the refridgerator, there was a piece of glass. Annie sat down on it, and it cut her on the . . . As . s . s . .k me no more questions, and I'll to you no more lies. ?? ?? That's all I can remember on that one. Another common one we used to chant teasingly when fellow elementary school student got sweet on each other: "(boy'sname) and (girl's name) sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, Next comes marriage, Then comes (boy's name), Pushing a baby carriage." Lastly, I remember a "nasty" chant us boys would do at about 7 or 8 years old (sung to the 7 Dwarfs' work song): "Whistle while you work, Hitler was a jerk. Mussolini yanked his weenie, Now it will not squirt." Maybe, as this thread progresses I might think of some more. Eu |
Subject: RE: Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives From: Azizi Date: 30 Jun 07 - 02:10 PM Thanks, Mo. I remember playing "A My Name Is" in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the 1950s. It was chanted as you described though I'm betting that the standardized names and objects that kids used for the alphabet differed around the world. For instance, I remember singing: A my name is Alice My husband's name is Al We live in Atlantic City Where they sell apples/ {My name wasn't Azizi back then. If it had been, I would have used that name}. Also, we sang this when we played individual ball bouncing {bounce ball on the ground,and catch it. A variant of this was to bounce the ball underneath one leg and then catch it and then alternate by bouncing the ball under the other leg}. We never sang this when we played catch with other people. |
Subject: RE: skipping to 'coffee and tea' From: Mo the caller Date: 30 Jun 07 - 12:32 PM Yes, the --- was some-ones name. the first skipper called another in, then in the next verse jumped out herself (I think) |
Share Thread: |
Subject: | Help |
From: | |
Preview Automatic Linebreaks Make a link ("blue clicky") |