Seven Videos Of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Marching Bands Performing "Neck"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases seven YouTube videos of HBCU marching bands performing the tune "Neck".

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Cameo for composing and recording the song "Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck". Thanks to all those who are associated with these showcased HBCU marching bands and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the videographers and the publishers of these videos on YouTube. 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/09/what-talking-out-side-of-your-neck.html  for the closely related pancocojams post "What "Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck" Means In African American Vernacular English & How The Tune "Neck" Became A Very Popular HBCU Marching Band Anthem (complete reprint of a 2024 post)".

That YouTube video features a marching band battle between Alabama State University (located in Montgomery, Alabama) and Southern University (located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana). 

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES OF THE TUNE "NECK"
The videos in this pancocojams compilation were selected rather randomly and aren't meant to convey any order of preference or any curated performance quality. 

The beginning year for these videos was arbitrarily selected.

These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest selected video presented first.

Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #1- Howard Showtime Marching Band x "Neck"

HBCUGameday, Apr 14, 2020

Howard's Showtime Marching band lets us know that those other bands are "talking out the side of their neck" if they think they're messing with the DC version of the Cameo classic. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1H_WPin83Y
-snip-
Howard University is located in Washington D.C.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2- SHOWCASE VIDEO #3- Neck Battle - PVAMU vs. Jackson State University | SWAC Championship 2021 

Zymbolistik, Dec 7, 2021  MISSISSIPPI VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM
-snip-
Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) is located in Prairie View, Texas

Jackson State University is located in Jackson, Mississippi
-snip-
Here's some information about "SWAC" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_Athletic_Conference
"The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA. 

The SWAC is considered the premier HBCU conference and ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni affiliated with professional sports teams, particularly in football."...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ3oEttz5n4

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - Southern University Human Jukebox 2022 "NECK" in Tiger Stadium

Human Jukebox Media, Sep 11, 2022  #HumanJukebox #Fall2022 #JukeboxMedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCSXzvzpaNs
-snip-
Southern University is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4- Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands | Neck | Tara Stadium 2023

Aristocrat of Bands, .Oct 27, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3aJn9G6s50

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #5 - Tuskegee Marching Band 2024 - Neck

RichbergEnt, Nov 25, 2024

Tuskegee Homecoming 2024

 Tuskegee vs Miles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Gx5_IVg94
-snip-
Tuskegee University is located in Tuskegee, Alabama

Miles College is located in Fairfield, Alabama.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #6 - SPARTAN "LEGION" - NECK VS VSU 2025



Norfolk State University Spartan Legion, Sep 8, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek30Y_Woqzg
-snip-
Norfolk State University is located in Norfolk, Virginia.

Virginia State University is located in Petersburg, Virginia

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #7 - Grambling State University Marching Band 2026 Neck



Band Central, Aug 15, 2026  Podcasts

Grambling State University Marching Band Playing “Neck” Performing at Fanfest 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ogguXBjAv0
-snip-
Grambling State University is located in Grambling, Louisiana.

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What "Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck" Means In African American Vernacular English & How The Tune "Neck" Became A Very Popular HBCU Marching Band Anthem (complete reprint of a 2024 post)

 

/\/\ MARCHINGSTPORT, October 13, 2015Alabama State and Southern University's Marching Band Battle to Neck -snip- Alabama State University is located in Montgomery, Alabama. Southern University is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

[This is a complete reprint of an updated version of a 2024 pancocojams post. That post is still available on this pancocojams blog.] 

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of a two Historically Black Colleged & Universities (HBCU) marching bands battling with their arrangements of Cameo's 1984 hit record "Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck".

The marching band arrangements of that record are most often called "Neck".

This pancocojams post also includes information about the meaning of the African American Vernacular English phrase "talkin out the side of your neck". This post also presents an article excerpt about how that song became so popular among Historically Black College And University (HBCU) marching bands.

Selected comments from the discussion thread for this showcase video are also included in this pancocojams post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Cameo for composing and recording the song "Talking Out The Side Of Your Neck". Thanks to all those who are associated with these showcased HBCU marching bands and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the videographers and the publisher of this video on YouTube. 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/09/seven-videos-of-historically-black.html for the closely related pancocojams post "Seven Videos Of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Marching Bands Performing "Neck" ".

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "TALKIN OUT THE SIDE OF YOUR NECK" RECORD
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talkin%27_Out_the_Side_of_Your_Neck
"Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck" is a song by American funk band Cameo and the third track on their 1984 album, She's Strange. The song was released as a single with "Léve Toi!" in 1984.[2] Since its release, it has become associated with HBCU bands[3] and the LSU Tiger Marching Band.[4]

Composition

"Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck" features elements of hip hop and funk music. Daryl Easlea, writing for BBC Music, described the song as "an attack on the Reagan government [...] rocking a metal groove, full of sassy uptown horns with Talking Heads-style keyboard washes".[5] The song's lyrics mention presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, with the chorus repeating "You're gonna get what's comin' to you yet".

[…]

Legacy

"Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck" has become a commonly played arrangement for many marching bands, particularly HBCU bands. The tradition's origins are unknown, but multiple Norfolk State University alumni claim its first marching band performance to have been the 1984 edition of the Battle of the Bay, NSU's football rivalry with Hampton University.[3]

[...]

Released 1984

[…]

Genre    R&B, funk, hip hop

[…]

Songwriter(s)    

Larry Blackmon, Charles Singleton, Nathan David Leftenant, Thomas Michael Jenkins

Producer(s)  Larry Blackmon"...

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WHAT "TALKING OUT THE SIDE OF YOUR NECK" MEANS
These definitions are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Online Definition #1
https://waywordradio.org › Segments
"Mar 29, 2016 — ... talk out the side of one's neck, meaning to “talk trash about someone.” It's simply a variation of talking out of the side of one's mouth."

**
Online Definition #2
https://www.reddit.com/r/KendrickLamar/comments/1c7o8ab/what_does_talking_outta_they_necks_mean/

Hitorijanae, 2024
"Yappin basically, making sh-t* up, talking sh-t*, etc"
-snip-
This word is fully spelled out in this definition.

**
Online Definition #3
Google Search AI Generated Jan 11, 2022
"talking nonsense, either by straight-up lying or exaggerating to the point that someone can't back up their own words with their actions."

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ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT THE TUNE "NECK"
by https://hbcugameday.com/2019/12/30/cameo-neck-hbcu-marching-band-starts-norfolk-state-spartan-legion/  "The Origin of ‘Neck’: How Cameo’s hit became an HBCU band anthem" by Gerald Huggins (HBCU Gameday Newswire), December 30, 2019

Cameo dropped “Talking Out The Side of Ya Neck” 35 years ago and the HBCU world has never been the same since. How did it start?

"HBCUs have a long and illustrious history of athletic and band achievements. When attending an HBCU sporting event, attendees should expect to see a tailgate, the Royal Courts, the NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council), alumni of all ages, athletes, and without a doubt, they will experience a black college band performance.

Each HBCU marching band has its own flavor, style, and prestige making them special in their own right. However, they all share one special song: Cameo’s “Talkin Out the Side of Yo Neck.” Since its adoption, everyone in the HBCU community agrees this is a timeless marching band anthem, but like most great traditions, many bands like to claim they were the first to perform it. Until now, no one could truly lay claim to the elusive title of originator. On December 22, 2019, I found out in the basement during a family function in Prince George’s County, Maryland. 

I was asked to attend a family gathering by my friend Kathryne Burton. The get together was at her friend, Aerika Anderson’s home. This would be my first time visiting and I knew her dad was my frat brother so I decided to go. Once I found out he was from Pi Gamma chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, it was instant love at that point. The night was winding down and the remaining people congregated to the basement at the bar downstairs. As we were having great conversation and good laughs, I overheard something that I found to be groundbreaking.

Anthony “Tony” Anderson, a native of Richmond, VA, a graduate of Norfolk State University and Spring 1985 initiate of the Pi Gamma chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, mentioned the song “Talkin Out the Side of Yo Neck.” Anderson was one of the well-respected leaders of NSU’s Spartan Legion in 1984. Anderson continued the conversation and in a split second, he tapped his chest twice and emphatically.

“I’m the one who started playing Neck first,” he beamed proudly. “We played that back in 1984!”

Everyone outside of family and friends, who had obviously heard the story before, were shocked.

Like us, many people are not too sure of the origin behind Neck and who played it first. I thought a SWAC school was the first to do it. My friend, Chelsea Chambers thought it was Southern University who started it in the late 90s. So it was only right to hear the whole story behind the HBCU marching band anthem. Denise Anderson, who was an original “Hot Ice” dance line member back in 1984 co-signed and confirmed that Tony was the person to bring the idea to the rest of the band. She even called her dance line sister, Stephanie Wright-Jenkins, for further confirmation. Denise and Wright-Jenkins were apart of the Hot Ice’s Original Six, which started back in 1983.

Tony Anderson, who was a trombone player during the 1984 season and later became drum major in 1985, continued to go in-depth with the story of how he came up with the idea.

“I was riding back to Hampton with my brothers, we were passing the Williamsburg exit on I-64 and the song came on and I knew I wanted to use this song. The title and the blaring horns are what called my attention to the song being that Hampton U always talked trash as rival bands did. This was a week before we played Hampton. I had to write down the lyrics, the notes and buy the tape but I knew this was it!”

[…]

“The crowd went crazy over the song. They yelled from the first up 2! It caught on like nobody’s business.”

The Spartan Legion completed their performance and to put the icing on the cake, Norfolk State defeated Hampton University 15-7 in the Battle of the Bay. That was also the day that Neck became the Spartan Legion anthem. Prior to this game, “Warren’s Jam,” was the Legion’s original anthem.

It was a banner year for NSU. The school won the CIAA basketball and football titles that year, and apparently its band was at the forefront of a new movement.

There has been a ton of speculation behind who came up with Neck but one thing that can be confirmed is the impact Anderson and the Spartan Legion had on America’s Marching Band culture. Anderson spoke on the expansion of the song throughout the numerous marching bands locally and statewide.

“After we played it, we got so much approval from it, that became our anthem,” Anderson said.  “Then others started catching onto it and playing it as well. See, Norfolk is a big feeding area and all the local middle school, high school, and college bands in the area started to play it and that was because of us. It’s still a big thing because it’s a song that every marching band plays now. You ask anybody from Norfolk State back in the day and they’ll tell you that we started that. So to hear not only HBCUs but PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) like LSU and Ohio State playing it was crazy.”

[…]

To be the originator of something so important to not only Black culture but band culture has to feel like a tremendous accomplishment. There has been chatter that the SWAC may have played it first in 1984 but according to Wright-Jenkins, the impact of Neck belongs to Norfolk State’s Spartan Legion, then a band in the CIAA.

“I want the credit to be given where it should. To hear elementary, middle, high school, black college, and PWIs are playing it. I believe Hampton was the first to play it after us because they copied everything we did. Then Howard was after Hampton. I was told that Texas Southern may have played it the same year but to my knowledge, the SWAC didn’t catch onto Neck until the 90s. Neck is the most influential song to bands. Everyone across lines plays Neck. It’s almost as common as hearing the Star-Spangled Banner every time you go to a college sporting event.”

For 35 years, Neck has become the most notable band song to be played throughout the country. When the song starts, you can see how infectious the sound is to a crowd. At HBCUs, you will see people dancing and members of the D9 strolling to this song. Chances are if you went to an HBCU football game and this song played, you will see members of Omega Psi Phi setting it owt to Neck. That’s most fitting considering Anderson is also a member.

There is no definite answer to who started playing Neck first but one is hard-pressed to hear a story like this one and not believe it. And remember, there was no Youtube to document what was played on a weekly basis. The way Anderson and Wright-Jenkins spoke of this cultural phenomenon gave me no reason not to believe that the Spartan Legion were the pace-setters to the marching band anthem. In my conversations with them both, the most important characteristic of this story is impact. Neck will be a song that will be played for many more years to come.

Thank you, to Anthony “Tony” Anderson and the Spartan Legion for their attribution to the culture.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS SHOWCASED VIDEO 

These comments are given in chronological order, except for replies.

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64HrSIWh0jM&t=1s

2016

1. @Jalapenomind
"ASU won the Neck Battle definitely!"

**

2. @hazzaustin5571
"I'm a SU fan but I like the creativity of their neck. but SU had that power though"

**
3. @fabulouscarter5289
"this is really only the second school I seen SU ever get blowed out by......jsu and alabama state"

**
4. @SwagDealer9
"ASU takes this battle no doubt the arrangement is killer SU had that power though"

**
5. @mybro727
"ASU definitely had power as well especially for their size. If ASU was SU's size I think we all know which band would've been more powerful."

**
6. @thefam6952
"Its no shadeBut ASU ddefinitely winthis battle !!!! We all know southern won overall but state won this !!"

**
Reply
7.@hazzaustin5571
"yeah the definitely won this with the creativity of their neck but power goes to SU"

**
8. @kola1060
"Musicianship goes to Southern... ASU was more entertaining or at least from what this video shows.  Southern's brass section is phenomenal."

**
9. @dontealmighty9517
"Southern took the win. #jukenation"

**
Reply
10. @chrissellers205
"really?" ** Reply 11. @dontealmighty9517
"Their arrangement is simple and clean in my opinion."

** Reply 12. @Polamalu, 2019
"You a southern fan that's why you said that"

** Reply 13. @biancaortegaa 2021
"@dontealmighty9517  No worries let asu have that little neck battle SU was in they ass the whole night legend has it if u were to walk through bama state's stadium today you will still hear 2015's echo from SU "

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2017

14. @boogieemac
"I think SU won this battle because for one, they were cleaner. It seemed like State was trying to match SU's power."

**
15. @juanc.dallas4198
"ASU needs to bring this neck back one day maybe when they get new uniforms but I also like their current neck because it's original and creative as well as this one 👍👍👍"

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2018

16. @greggulley9050
"State trumpets were struggling, and the rest of the brass was unbalanced.

Seems like every one going off there last note."

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2019

17. @kvngu15563
"There’s only two schools that can blow out SU ok Alabama State and Jackson State I was at this game state won this battle"

**
18. @s2royal395
"What do they say when they are waving there hands"

**
Reply
19. @MarchingsportHD
"Hey ohhh, you're talking out the side of your neck"

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2020

20. @3rdeyebookingcompany510, 2020
"SU was way cleaner and precise. ASU all over the place."

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2021

21. @zaylonjohnson, 2021
"bama state killed em. ngl"

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2022

22.@Tjevdevs
"It’s not smart to get in a “NECK” battle with Alabama State, southern found that out the hard way"
**
23.@MikeFromBr
"Y’all crazy if y’all think that sound better southern 😂"

**
24. @Courie11e
"ASU's neck uncoordinated"

**
2023 

25. @TJB24
"Baritones was giving it their all at ASU but I liked Southern more because it sounded way cleaner"

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2024

26.@P_T_3rd
"This is talkin out the side of your neck personally it needs to be played faster to sound better than normal neck if not that has to be  with more low brass punch"

**
27. @dawsonharris1655
"ASU STR8 KILLED EM FR 🔥🔥💯‼️"

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2025

28. @REPUBLICANSAREBEYONDSTUPID
"How can you “kill” someone when you’re trying sound just like them?  Alabama State’s version of neck is a complete imitation of Southern’s.  And I absolutely cannot stand southern.  Smh"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Three Examples Of The Children's Song "I'm A Little Teapot"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the English language children's song "I'm A Little Teapot".

This post also showcases three YouTube examples of this song with their lyrics.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes

 All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the creators of this song and its movement routine. Thanks to all those who are featured in these YouTube videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the producers and publishers of these showcase examples on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_a_Little_Teapot
""I'm a Little Teapot" is an American nursery rhyme and novelty song describing the heating and pouring of a teapot or a whistling tea kettle. The song was originally written by George Harry Sanders and Clarence Z. Kelley and published in 1939.[1] By 1941, a Newsweek article referred to the song as "the next inane novelty song to sweep the country".[2]

Creation

Kelley and his wife ran a dance school for children, which taught the "Waltz Clog", a popular and easy-to-learn tap dance routine. This routine, however, proved too difficult for the younger students to master. To solve this problem, George Sanders wrote "The Teapot Song", which required minimal skill and encouraged natural pantomime. Both the song and its accompanying dance, the "Teapot Tip", became enormously popular in America and overseas.[3]

The song was recorded and made famous by Art Kassel and His Kassels in the Air orchestra with featured vocalist Marion Holmes singing the tune. It was published in 1941 by Bluebird Records.[4] (Marion Holmes soon after married Broadway, film, and TV star Don DeFore.)

The lyrics begin "I'm a little teapot, short and stout..." and go on to further describe the appearance and actions of the singer-as-teapot.[5] The song may be accompanied with actions: extending one arm in a curve like the spout, placing the other arm like the handle, and bending sideways to pour."...
-snip-
I have a vague memory of performing this song with a group of other Black children during a dance recital in the early 1950s in Atlantic City, New Jersey In the same recital my sisters and I performed a version of the song "Come Little Dutch Boy". Read my comment in this post's discussion thread for the words that I remember for that song.

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES OF THIS SONG
These examples are given in chronological order with the example with the oldest publication date given first. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. 


SHOWCASE #1- I'm A Little Teapot Action Song 1

The Tiny Boppers, Mar 19, 2009

I'm a little teapot

Short and stout

Here is my handle

(one hand on hip)

Here's my spout

(other arm out straight)

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout

Just tip me over

And pour me out

(lean over toward spout)

I'm a clever teapot

Yes it's true

Here's an example of

What I can do

I can change my handle

to my spout

(switch arm positions)

Just tip me over and pour me out

I'm a little teapot

Short and stout

Here is my handle

(one hand on hip)

Here's my spout

(other arm out straight)

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout

Just tip me over

And pour me out

(lean over toward spout)

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SHOWCASE #2 - I'm a Little Teapot | 2019 | Nursery Rhymes | Kids Songs | KidsVideos.xyz

Kids Videos, 910 views  Feb 6, 2019

 I'm a Little Teapot Lyrics

 

I’m a little teapot

Short and stout

Here’s my handle

And here’s my spout

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout:

“Just tip me over and pour me out!”

 

I'm a clever teapot

Yes, it's true

Here's an example of what I can do

I can change my handle into a spout

Tip me over and pour me out!

 

I’m a little teapot

Short and stout

Here’s my handle

And here’s my spout

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout:

“Tip me over and pour me out!”

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SHOWCASE #3- I’m a Little Teapot | Singing with Gracie’s Corner | Nursery Rhymes + Kids Songs

Gracie's Corner,  May 17, 2024  #graciescorner #imalittleteapot #nurseryrhymes

I’m a Little Teapot is a classic nursery rhyme that many children enjoy. If you love singing and dancing with Gracie’s Corner, then come along and have fun with these great kids songs.

For free learning activities and Gracie's Corner merch, visit www.GraciesCornerTV.com. Songs available on all music streaming platforms.

Lyrics:

I’m a little teapot

Short and stout

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout

Tip me over and pour me out

I’m a little teapot

A little teapot

I’m a little teapot

Please pour me out

I’m a little teapot

A little teapot

I’m a little teapot

Please pour me out

I’m a little teapot

Short and stout

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout

Tip me over and pour me out

I’m a little teapot

A little teapot

I’m a little teapot

Please pour me out

I’m a little teapot

A little teapot

I’m a little teapot

Please pour me out

Take your left hand

Put it on your hip

Lift your right hand in the air

Then tip

Take your left hand

Put it on your hip

Lift your right hand in the air

Then tip

I’m a little teapot

Short and stout

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout

Tip me over and pour me out

I’m a little teapot

A little teapot

I’m a little teapot

Please pour me out

I’m a little teapot

A little teapot

I’m a little teapot

Please pour me out

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

A little teapot

Please pour me out

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

A little teapot

Please pour me out 

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Seven YouTube Examples Of The Children's Singing Game "Little Johnny Brown"

 

Bessie Jones with the Georgia Island Singers - Little Johnny Brown

Monkey D. Sound, Aug 2, 2019

Get in Union: Recordings By Alan Lomax 1959-1966
-snip-
Here's information about this recording that is found on https://www.culturalequity.org/resources...

"Recorded: Central Park, New York City, NY (August 1965)

Performers: Bessie Jones (tambourine, vocal), John Davis (clapping/foot stomping, vocal), Peter Davis (clapping/foot stomping, vocal), Mable Hillery (clapping/foot stomping, vocal), Emma Ramsay (clapping/foot stomping, vocal)”… 

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases different ways of singing and/or different ways of playing the Georgia Sea isles singing game "Little Johnny Brown".

Information about this singing game is given in some of the summaries for these showcased examples.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Gullah Geechie people for creating this singing game. Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
The Gullah Geechie people are a sub-set of African American people. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah to learn about the Gullah Geechie people.

-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/united-states-play-party-songs-other.html for the 2012 pancocojams post "Draw Me A Bucket Of Water & Three Other African American Children's Singing Games". The four featured examples are "Draw Me A Bucket Of Water", "Tideo" (Jingle At The Window", "Little Johnny Brown", and "Paw Paw Patch".

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/04/little-johnny-brown-childrens-singing.html "Little Johnny Brown (Children's Singing Game With No Hand Holding & No Clapping Another Person's Hands), This pancocojams post was published during the Covid 19 pandemic.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
With the exception of Showcase Video #1 which is the earliest recording of this singing games , these examples of the singing game "Little Johnny Brown" are presented in chronological order based on their publishing dates on YouTube.

This pancocojams compilation is only a small portion of the examples of this singing game that is found on YouTube. 

SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #2 - Johnny Brown



carolannf1, Apr 5, 2010

Kids playing a game Called Little Johnny Brown
-snip-
Lyrics for this modified version of thissinging game:

Little Johnny Brown

Lay your comfort down

Little Johnny Brown

Lay your comfort down

Fold it in a corner,

Johnny Brown

Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!

Fold it in a corner,

Johnny Brown

Show us your motion

Johnny Brown

We can do your motion

Johnny Brown

Now choose a friend

Johnny Brown
-snip-
The game starts again with the new "Johnny Brown".

Some versions substitute the female name "Jennie" for "Johnny" when the person in the middle is a female.

The word "comfort" may have been a Gullah Geechie refernt for what some other Americans called a "comforter" (a blanket). In the "Little Johnny Brown" singing game, players use a handkerchief or another piece of cloth to represent the "comfort".

In the original version of this singing game, people sang "take it to your lover" instead of "choose [or "take it to"] your friend".  

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #3 - Little Johnny Brown

Vincent Bates, Jan 22, 2013

Little Johnny Brown, lay your comfort down . . .

Now fold one corner, Johnny Brown, fold the other corner, Johnny Brown . . .

Give it to your lover, Johnny Brown . . .

Make a little motion, Johnny Brown . . .

Lope like a buzzard, Johnny Brown . . .

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #4- MUSIC TEACHER RESOURCES - Little Johnny Brown

Kate Fellin,Jul 3, 2015

This is a play party that several of us learned from Ivy Rawlins in Kodaly classes at George Mason University through the Potomac Arts Academy.  

Some modifications to save time, make sure all students get turns, etc., are to take out the "lope like a buzzard" lines, to make the 4th repetition of "fold another corner" into "fold the last corner" and to change the last line to "then sit down" so that students can differentiate between who has and has not had a turn.  

We started off a little slow with our tempo, and I usually keep a steady tempo through the whole song instead of making the first two phrases slower. 

Little Johnny Brown, lay your comfort down (2 times)

Fold one corner, Johnny Brown

Fold another corner, Johnny Brown

Fold another corner, Johnny Brown

Fold the last corner, Johnny Brown

Take it to a friend, Johnny Brown (2 times)

Show them a motion, Johnny Brown (2 times)

Join in the motion, Johnny Brown

Join in the motion, then sit down

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #5 - Little Johnny Brown | Classic Folk Game for Kids | Elementary Music Activity

Mr.Hudspeth's Music Channel, Jan 16, 2017

LITTLE JOHNNY BROWN is a traditional African American play‑party song, widely associated with the Georgia Sea Islands and preserved through oral tradition.

[…]

This arrangement was recorded and produced by me, David Hudspeth, for use in classrooms and educational settings. I arranged, performed, and own the rights to the audio and video in this recording...

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #6-Little Johnny Brown -- dance

Aaron Bell Sep 2, 2022
-snip-
This is the portion of this session that shows the Little Johnny Brown singing game.

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #7-"Little Johnny Brown" Circle Game, Song

Elementary Music Fun - Happy Tunes, Sep 13, 2025

Enjoy this original version of  “Little Johnny Brown”, a traditional African American game song. Children sing while moving in a circle, acting out the motions in the lyrics. One child (Johnny Brown) is in the middle with a handkerchief, blanket, or scarf, and follows the playful directions—laying it down, folding it. At the end, Johnny Brown chooses another player to take a turn, and the game continues

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