"Charlie Over The Ocean"(children's singing game)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: Feb. 17, 2022

This pancocojams post provides information about and several YouTube videos of the children's singing game "Charlie Over The Ocean".

This post also includes my editorial comments, as well as lyrics and performance directions for that game.

The content for this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of the videos that are included in this post. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SINGING GAME "CHARLIE OVER THE OCEAN"

"Charlie Over The Ocean" is the name of a children's singing game.

The earliest mention of this game that I've found to date is from [White American] folklorist Harold Courlander's book & recordings entitled Negro Folk Music of Alabama.* That book & records were compiled from field recordings that Courlander made in rural Alabama in 1950. "Charlie Over The Ocean" is also included in Harold Courlander's 1963 collection Negro Folk Music: U.S.A.

*Notice the update about the song "Over The Water" [or "River"] to Charlie" which is added below on August 14, 2013.

Here's the excerpt about this game from Negro Folk Music: U.S.A Google Books

[Pages 159 - 160; "Ring Games and Playparty Songs]

"Charlie Over the Ocean" is a drop-the-handkerchief type of game, in which the leader moves around the outside of the ring, He sings each line of the song, which the group repeats responsively. He thrusts a small object, such as a small stone, in the hand of the person standing in the ring;** the individual so designated chases the leader around the outside of the ring and tries to catch him before he gets to the vacated space. If he fails to accomplish his mission, he, in turn, become the leader.

Charlie over the ocean
Charlie over the sea
Charlie caught a blackbird (blackfish)
Can’t catch me.
Can’t catch me.
-snip-
The person who is "it" & then the rest of the group sings "blackfish" in their second iteration of that game song [as sung in the brief sound file in the field recording by Harold Courlander that is found at http://www.folkways.si.edu/TrackDetails.aspx?itemid=11577 [See the Related Link below for the complete listing of songs in that recording.]

Notice also that it appears that the way that "Charlie Over The Ocean" was played by the group of African American children who were recorded by Harold Courlander was that the name "Charlie" was retained with each iteration of the song. The first time the song was sung "Charlie" caught a "blackbird". The second time the same person who was "it" sung the song, "Charlie" caught a "blackfish". Although “Charlie” is almost always considered a male nickname (for Charles), that name doesn’t change with each person who is “it”, regardless of the gender of the child. However, I don’t think that children playing this game are/were concerned about the possible mismatch between the name of the character in the rhyme and the person who is “it”.

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RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THIS SINGING GAME IS RACIST
[This section was added Feb. 17, 2022]

I was asked today if I thought that the singing game "Charlie Over The Ocean" is racist.

Here's an online excerpt about this game that I found (on Feb.17, 2022) when I decided to do some online searching about whether anyone thought that the game "Charlie Over The Ocean" was racist and why they thought that: 

From https://halesharmonies.com/2021/04/01/charlie-over-the-ocean/

..."History:

All of the sources I used referred back to Harold Courlander, a white anthropologist, as the one who originally documented this Alabama singing game in the 1950’s. He recorded a group of African-American school children singing it. You can hear part of that recording here. https://folkways.si.edu/east-york-school-ala/charlie-over-the-ocean/african-american-music-american-folk-childrens/music/track/smithsonian [This link includes a song file.]

In different versions of the song, different animals are being caught. I learned it as “Charlie caught a big fish,” but other versions, including the original, have Charlie catching blackbirds and blackfish. One of my sources commented on these deviations, mentioning that they think the children Courlander recorded specifically used the word “black” as an allusion to racial references. It is possible that this song has been “whitewashed” by people who are uncomfortable with sounding insensitive or even racist by using the term “black” for labeling the bird and fish. As far as I am aware, this is just speculation on behalf of one person. It may be true or it may not be true. Either way, I wanted to add this note to the history section because it is important to consider the original context of the song versus what is taught and sang by children today"

**

It's possible that this idea that the singing game "Charlie Over The Ocean" is racist may have been sparked by these comments that I made in the original version of this pancocojams post:

"My position is that the words "blackbird" and "blackfish" may have been purposely used by the Black children who played that game that Harold Courlander collected. "Black" in the word "blackbird" and "blackfish" may have been indirect racial references for those Black children who (given those times-in the 1950s) probably considered it an insult to be called "black" or "blackie".Thus, the children playing the game didn't want to be caught as they didn't want to be a "blackfish" or a "blackbird".

My guess is that the word "black" was purposely replaced in contemporary renditions of "Charlie Over The Ocean" because of the possible problematic racial associations of that word. In versions of this singing game that I've found online, "blackbird" and "blackfish" are replaced by "big bird" and "big fish" or some other items (for instance, "starfish")."

-end of my original comments-

I regret any confusion that these comments may have caused.

Let me be clear.  I DO NOT think that the singing game "Charlie Over The Ocean" in and of itself is racist. However, I believe that:

1. It's possible that the group of children from whom Harold Courlander collected this game may have purposely used "blackbird" and "blackfish" as a way of heightening the negative label for those who were caught in that running game

2. I also believe that the terms "blackbird" and "blackfish" could have unintentional negative consequences, for instance, when there are very few Black children playing and the group is trying to catch a blackbird or a blackfish, those Black children can feel targeted.

3. Unfortunately, in 2022 it appears that a number of Black children in the United States-if not elsewhere- still consider it insulting to be called "black" or "blackie".  

I believe that it's best to be proactive when it comes to any possible negative consequences that could so easily be avoided by using words other than "blackbird", "blackfish" (or any other color words.

I don't think that changing the words "blackbird" and "blackfish" is "whitewashing the words to this singing game." After all, it's possible that the children from whom Courlander got those words had themselves changed the label for the person caught to  "blackbird" and "blackfish"

Given the possible racial connotations, I suggest that some other words be used in place of "blackbird", "blackfish" etc. I like the suggestion the teacher made in the video given at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bomDPC9Zsk&t=13s&ab_channel=CathyBenedict for the players to think of something that lives in the ocean. The players came up with "mermaid", "starfisth", "shark" etc. The teacher said it's okay if more than one person comes up with the same thing.   

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PEFORMANCE ACTIVITY
This is a call & response singing game. The person who is "it" sings the first line and the rest of the group echos what that person says.

When the person who is it says "Charlie catches a [whatever], they tap a person on the shoulder and that person has to run to catch them before they get to the spot that was vacated in the circle. If the person who is "It" catches that person, then that person is the new "It". If not, the person who was "It" has to continue in that role. The game is supposed to be played without pause for as long as the group wants to play it.

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MORE EDITORIAL NOTES
For what it's worth, I don't remember this game from my childhood (in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s.) Nor do I remember my children playing this game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1980s. However, although I don't have any written documentation of it, I vaguely recall an African American female friend of mine sharing with me that she & her female & male friends sang this version during their childhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1980s as a prelude to a chasing game:
"Charlie over the ocean
Charlie over the sea
Charlie kissed a iittle girl
But he can't kiss me.
-snip-
If this recollection is accurate, that was "back in the day" when boys and girls played [self-initiated and not adult initiated] singing games & chasing games together. It seems to me that boys and girls rarely play self-initiated singing games. Also, it seems to me that boys & girls rarely even play playground games together with the exception of lightly competitive hand slapping games such as "Stella Ella Ola" and "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky". Furthermore, if girs and boys do play playground games together since the 1960s or so, they absolutely don't play "give me a kiss" singing games.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are given in chronological order based on their posting date with the oldest video presented first.)

Example #1: Charlie Over the Ocean.mov



denisegagne50, Uploaded on Sep 9, 2010

Singing game for children from Musicplay 1 elementary music curriculum. This is included in Musicplay 1 digital resources.
-snip-
Children playing this game retain the name “Charlie”. However, with each iteration, the child who is “it” changes what “Charlie” caught [for example “a name of a cartoon character” or a hamster.]
Another change in how this group plays this game is that the children who were “it” sit in the middle of the circle (the ring) after their turn.

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Example #2: Game - Charlie Over the Ocean 1 2B



mpielementary Uploaded on Dec 13, 2010
Recorded on August 24, 2010 using a Flip Video camcorder.
-snip-
This group substited the name of child who is "it" instead of the name “Charlie”. Also, “blackbird”/ “blackfish” are changed to the non-problematic & potentially positively received item “starfish”; Example: “Ian” [child who is “it”] caught a starfish

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Example #3: Charlie Over the Ocean



 Vincebates, Published on May 3, 2012
Charlie over the ocean . . .
Charlie over the sea . . .
Charlie caught a blackbird . . .
Can't catch me . . .

(You could sing the name of the student-who-is-it in the place of "Charlie")
-snip-
This group is probably education students who are learning this game so that they can teach it when they become elementary school teachers.

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RELATED LINK
Here's a complete listing of the songs that are featured in Harold Courlander's 1955 record Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 6: Ring Game Songs and Others Various Artists FW04474. Brief sound clips of these songs are featured at this link: http://www.folkways.si.edu/negro-folk-music-of-alabama-vol-6-ring-game-songs-and-others/african-american-childrens/album/smithsonian.

Mary Mack [performed by] - Lilly's Chapel School (Ala.) [length of recording] 2:00

Bob a Needle - Lilly's Chapel School (Ala.) 0:54

Watch That lady -Lilly's Chapel School (Ala.) 1:20

Old Lady Sally Wants to Jump -Lilly's Chapel School (Ala.) 0:51

Loop de Loop -Lilly's Chapel School (Ala.) 1:47

Green Green Rocky Road -Lilly's Chapel School (Ala.) 1:29

Rosie Darling Rosie -Brown's Chapel School 1:37

I Must See -Brown's Chapel School 1:37

Bluebird Bluebird -Pilgrim Church School (Ala.) 1:13

May Go 'Round the Needle -East York School (Ala.) :2:35

Stooping on the Window -East York School (Ala.) 1:10

Charlie Over the Ocean -East York School (Ala.) 0:55

Session with Celina Lewis, (a)Catch That Squirrel, (b)Sangar ee, (c) Whoa Mule, Can't Get the Saddle On,... Celina Lewis 5:14

Water on the Wheel -Annie Grace Horn Dodson 0:48

Go Pray Ye -Annie Grace Horn Dodson 2:37

Captain Holler Hurry -Willie Turner 1:27

John Henry -Willie Turner 2:16

Going to Have a Talk with the Chief of Police -Peelee Hatchee (Emanuel Jones) 1:48

Meet Me in the Bottoms -Davie Lee 1:36

When the Role is Called in Heaven -Joe Brown, Harrison Ross, and Willie John Strong 2:40

I Moaned and I Moaned -Joe Brown, Harrison Ross, and Willie John Strong 1:21

I'm Standing in a Safety Zone -Rosie N. Winston 2:53

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UPDATE: August 16, 2013
I just came across the song "Over The Water [or "The River] Charlie [or "To Charlie"]. Here's a version of the lyrics for that song from http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/song-midis/Over_the_Water_to_Charlie.htm

Over the Water to Charlie

It's over the water, it's over the sea
It's over the water tae Charlie
Come weal, come woe, we'll gather and go
To live or die wi Charlie

Come boat me over, come ferry me o'er
Come boat me over tae Charlie
Hear the call once but never again
To carry me over tae Charlie

O once I had sons, but now I've got nane
I treated them all sae sarely
But I would bear them all again
To live and die for Charlie

I swear by moon and stars sae bright
Sun that shines sae dearly
If I had twenty thousand lives
I'd live them all for Charlie

Come boat me o'er, come now or never
Come boat me o'er tae Charlie
I'll gie John Ross another bawbee
To ferry me o'er tae Charlie

It's well I lo'e me Charlie's name
Tho some there be abhor him
But O tae see Auld Nick gaun hame
And Charlie's face afore him
-snip-
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=97222#1910772 Origins "Weevily Wheat" for several comments by Richie and others that provides information about this song including this documentation from Andrew Kuntz:
"OVER THE RIVER TO CHARLIE [2]. AKA ‑ "Over the Water To Charlie." AKA and see "We Prefer Our Own King," "Wha'll (Who'll) Be King But Charlie," "Royal Charlie," "Fy Buckle Your Belt," "More Power to Ye," "Behind the Bush in the Garden [1]." Scottish (originally), Irish, American; Jig or March. USA: southwestern Pa.; Wetzel County, W.Va. A Mixolydian. Standard. AB. Bayard (1981) feels this tune has more claim to its title than other of the "River" or "Water" tunes, as it had Jacobite associations prior to its first printing. The earliest version found by him is in Capt. Simon Fraser's collection and appears as "Se'n Righ atha aguin is fear linn" (We Prefer Our Own King), and Fraser's notes indicate that it was known in Ireland as well as Scotland. By 1745, the high tide of the Jacobite rebellion, the tune was disseminated enough to be called "one of the incentives of rebellion" (Fraser) and soon became associated with the anonymous lyrics "Wha'll Be King But Charlie?" by which title instrumental versions are often known"...
[posted by Richie, 15 Dec 06 - 11:20 PM]

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOHo0L5_pU for a video of "Over The River Charlie".

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