I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 12:19 PM

Re: the "I made you look" rhyme

When I was growing up in the 1950s, Atlantic City, New Jersey,
I remember kids saying;

I made you look,
You dirty crook.
You stole your mother's pocket book.
You turned it in
You turned it out
You turned it into
a saurkraut.

{This was played the same way Sinsull remembers}

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 12:15 PM

Ugh!!

Correction: "Oh Miss {Mabel}... in "Oh Green Fields, Roxie"

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 12:12 PM

Sinsull-Thanks! I just PM'ed you.

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 12:04 PM

Thanks for your examples, Abby.

I was taught 'Sticks and Stones' in the 1950s. I recall this rhyme being taught to children by adults who wanted to reduce the hurt that was likely to occur when children became the victims of name-calling {including racial slurs}. I don't remember children ever using in any exchange with peers.

And Abby, thank you also for the resources that you cited. I am interested in the questions that you raised about "the emotional content & force of the stuff. When is it serious and when is it clearly formulaic or just kidding?"

With regard to the song "Green Green Rocky Road", I remember 'being introduced' to the African American singer Odetta by way of a record she made that included this song. And one day a long time ago [1980s?]I caught the tail end of a Sesame Street segment that had African American children chanting this rhyme while performing a line game {2 verticle lines with an 'alley' in the middle like the 'The Soul Train Line"}.

The closest version of that song I have ever found is "Oh, Green Fields, Roxie". That song is included in "Step It Down" Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes' 1972 book on African American children's game songs & rhymes from the Georgia Sea Islands {published by theUniv. of Georgia Press, pps 74-75}. However, instead of 'Roxie", the word {actually the phrase} I thought I heard in the Odetta record and TV segment was was 'rocky road'.

Bess Lomax Hawes writes that this is an adaptation of British song "Green grow the rushes, oh". Though Hawes didn't say so, it appears that "Roxie" {a girl's personal nickname or name from "Roxanne"} and "Rocky Road" are examples of folk etymology.

BTW, I checked the DT under that title and also under 'Green Fields Roxie' and didn't get any hits.

While "Oh Green Field, Roxie" isn't a put-down rhyme and may actually 'belong' in the thread on African American secular folk songs, I don't have a problem with including the words to that children's game song in this thread.

ADD: OH GREEN FIELDS ROXIE

"Step It Down",
Bessie Jones & Bess Lomax Hawes, pp. 74-75

Lead Singer               Group Voices
Oh green fields.          Roxie

Oh green fields.          Roxie

Tell me who you love,    Roxie

Tell me who you love,    Roxie

{Lead voice solo}

Ph Miss {Mabel}your
name is called,
Come take as seat right side
your love,
Shake his hand and let him go
Don't let him sit in that chair
no more.

-snip-

Notes from book "..When accompanied by a solid offbeat clap, thiscan be the most jazzily rhythnic of all Mrs Jones' plays.

Form: Ring of children standing and clapping. In the middle of the ring is a chair with a player sitting in it. The 'caller' who leads the singing, stands by the chair.

[first line & second line] All players clap

[third line] caller leans over to player in the chair, who
             whisper the name of another player to the caller

Directions given for lead voice solo:
Caller sings the whispered name.
Player called struts to chair, shakes hands eith player in chair
and sits down. First player dances back to the ring and the game is repeated without pause."

-snip-   

As you can see the performance instruction for version of the song is much different than what I remember from the television segment that I saw.

FWIW, I don't recall this game at all from my childhood. And I have never seen it performed or mentioned among African American children in the Pittsburgh, Penn. area {1969-2005}.



Ms. Azizi

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 May 05 - 12:01 PM

Made you look
Made you look
You stole your mother's pocket book (or penny book)

after telling someone they they had a stain on their blouse or their shoelace was untied.

One that went on forever and I forget the beginning:

I went to Japan
To see a man
He gave me a nickle to buy a pickle
The pickle was sour
So I bought a flower
The flower was dead so I bought a bed
The bed was broke so I bought a rope
The rope was

It went on until "out goes Y-O-U.

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 May 05 - 11:48 AM

A sailor went to the sea sea sea
To see what he could see see see
But all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea.

This was a ball bouncing song with the ball passed under your leg for sea and see. Also used in a hand clapping game.

Another one:
A my name is Alice and my husband's name is Al. We come from Alabama and we sell apples.
B my name is Bernice and my husband's name is Bob...you get the idea.

The ball was passed under the leg for the letter and the names beginning with the letter.




From 9 year old boys:
Who slit the sheets?
I slit the sheets.
Whoever slit the sheets
Is a good sheet slitter

One smart fellow, he felt smart
Two smart fellows they felt smart
Three smart fellows
They all felt smart

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 May 05 - 11:41 AM

Order in the court room!
Monkey wants to speak!
Speak, monkey, speak!


And the first to speak is the monkey. Used in our family car for years in an attempt to keep five battling kids quiet.

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Abby Sale
Date: 20 May 05 - 10:52 AM

I remember "I'm rubber. You're glue." from grade school in the late 40's. This was among white (mixed ethnic) boys on Long Island. It was a response to some slight, of course. Same as "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me." I recall we always had the feeling, having said the latter (much more defiantly) that retreat was indicated. There was the (mandatory) expectation that the other would then look around for some sticks and stones. Seemed only natural. "I'm rubber," on the other hand, was not seen as defiant and was more of a "sour grapes," surrender response.

Now that I think of this, I've seen a number of write-ups of this stuff (the Opies and Lib of Congress "Afro-American Blues & Game songs" and English Folk-Rhymes_, GF Northall come to mind) but I don't recall much of any discussion of the emotional content & force of the stuff. When is it serious and when is it clearly formulaic or just kidding?

You might make something of that. Maybe.

If you come across it, I'd be very, very interested to learn the game song (and how it was played) that Len Chandler & Bob Kaufman collected in Alabama (or New Orleans) that became "Green Rocky Road."

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 10:05 AM

Thanks for posting your examples Joe!

I remember the "Happy Birthday to you' rhyme as:

Happy Birthday to you.
You live in the zoo.
You look like a monkey.
And you smell like one too.

****

I also vaguely remember a rhyme that said "Order in the court!"
I'm not sure if it was the same as your silence in the court.

Does anybody else remember any "Order [Silence] in the court" rhymes?

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: GUEST,Joe_F
Date: 20 May 05 - 09:47 AM

Happy Birthday to you.

You belong in the zoo.

*

Silence in the courtroom! The monkey wants to speak.

Whoever speaks now is the monkey for a week.

The monkey's in the courtroom, eating a bowl of beans,

While ----'s on the toilet, sinking submarines.

--- Joe Fineman    [e-mail]

||: You have to die of something. :||

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 09:11 AM

One 'family' of children's rhymes that I'm particularly interested in is the 'Ink stink' rhymes.

Here are two examples from that family of children's rhymes:

Ink stink.
A bottle of ink.
Somebody let out
an awful stink.
It was Y-O-U!

{from my memories of my childhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey,1950s and various other children 1970-2002, including 8 year old African American girl, Fort Pitt Elementary School, Pittsburgh, Penn. 2002; }

I remember the first four lines being said when someone farted, also known as 'letting out wind' and 'passing gas'.

The addition of the last line marks this as an elimination rhyme that was used to choose "It" in hide and go seek and other chasing games.

This example was given as part of my daughter's second grade class room's assignment to recite 'choosing It' rhymes.

****

Stunk in the barnyard. **
Pee yew!
Who did it come from?
From you.

{8 year old African American boy, Fort Pitt Elementary School,
Pittsburgh, Penn. 2002; classroom assignment to recite 'Choosing It" rhymes}

** Although in this case, the boy clearly said 'stunk', I'm wondering if other people say 'Skunk in the barnyard. Pee yew!"


Azizi

Subject: I'm Rubber . Your Glue;Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 12:50 AM

IMO, children's rhymes are a little respected, and usually neglected folk art that can provide unique perspectives on the lives, interests, concerns, expectations, hopes, and fears of children.

I'm interested in collecting examples of children's rhymes whose words include teases; taunts, put downs; come backs; and smart remarks.

An example of a put down rhyme is this one that I heard recited by various African American girls, approximate ages 8-10 years {Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 2000-2003}.

I'M RUBBER. YOU'RE GLUE
I'm rubber. You're glue.
What you say
bounces off me
and sticks to YOU.

-snip-

No handclaps or other actions accompanied this rhyme, though I imagine that it could be included in a handclap rhyme or a foot stomping cheer.

****

An example of a smart remark rhyme is this foot stomping cheer that I collected from African American girls {approximate ages 9-12 years old; Braddock, Pennnsylvania, 1985}:

TWO WAY PASS AWAY
Group              Two way pass away
                   Two way pass away
Soloist #1         (Well) my name is Kayla
Group               Two way pass away
Soloist #1         And if you don't like it
Group               Two way pass away
Soloist #1         You can kiss what I twist
Group               Two way pass away
Soloist #1         And I don't mean my wrist.

{This rhyme accompanies a steady, bass sounding, syncopated foot stomping {individual}handclapping routine. The entire cheer is repeated until every member of the group has had one turn as soloist. Each sololist substitutes her name or nickname}.

****

I am interested in collecting these rhymes and documenting their words, category, peformance directions, if any. For the folkloric, historical record, I am also interested in documenting the demographics of these rhymes {who says them {girls, boys, race/ethnicity; age of children and/or youth}; where {city/state and nation if outside of the USA}; and when they were recited {approximate years such as 1960s or 1990s}.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am working on a book on children's rhymes and may be seeking posters' permission to use examples and any accompanying commentary from their posts.

When ever possible, I am interested in including in that publisned collection documentation of the race/ethnicity of these rhymes because -generally speaking-it appears from my research thus far that there are some differences between the types of rhymes known to and recited by children of different races/ethnicities.

Thank you for any help you can give me in documenting the existence of teasing/putdown rhymes, or any other sub-set of children's rhymes that you remember or may have recently heard from children around you.


Azizi Powell