Latest revision: December 8, 2023
This pancocojams post presents six video examples of the rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (or similarly sounding first line/title) and selected examples of that rhyme from those videos' viewer comment threads.
This post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to those featured in these videos, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
DISCLAIMER: This post is not meant to be a compilation of all the online and offline examples of this rhyme.
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF "DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY RHYMES"
"Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" is a huge family of recreational rhymes which originated in the United States. Examples of "Down By The Banks..." appear to be known by some Americans of all races and ethnicities. Other first lines/titles of this rhyme include- but aren't limited to-"Down By The Bank With The Hanky Panks", "Down By The Bay Of The Hanky Panky", "Down By The River Of Hanky Panky", and "BullFrogs".
The word "hanky panky" in these examples have nothing to do with that term's colloquial meanings of sexual activity or wrongdoing.
Some Sources for this rhyme
Lines that are included in "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhyme date from the late 19th century. For instance: Norfolk, The Marine Metropolis Of Virginia_ by G. Nowitsky, 1888, includes
"He came to the banks
Of the Pasquotank,
Where the bull-frogs jump
From bank to bank...."
quoted with other examples from the very early 20th century by Guest,Joseph Scott*
Date: 11 Feb 15 - 05:37 PM ,http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097&messages=154#3702464
There are a number of song "sources" that significantly influenced the development of contemporary "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky rhymes. One of those sources is Pete Seeger's "Foolish Frog" book and song. However, the lyrics and tune for that song are completely different from the lyrics and tune of the contemporary short forms of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes whose words are given above. The tune for Pete Seeger's "Foolish Frog" is the same as that of "The Three Little Fishies" song. That song includes the word "Down in the meadow... ... And they swam and they swam right over the dam."
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NksJ32bjFd4 for a video of Pete Seeger's Foolish Frog". A summary of a video of this song that was posted by Pete's sister Peggy Seeger notes that "The song is from a 1910 recording, 'May Irwin's Frog Song'. My father, Charles Seeger, composed the story to go with it, for the entertainment of his sons Charles, John and Pete. I learned the whole thing from Pete in 1955 but I tell it in my own way." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7utzhNPQhH8.
I believe that the most significant contributions to the text of many versions of the long form of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" were the early 1980s Coke and Pepsi "soda wars". Many of these "Coca Cola Came To Town" verses partly chronicle Pop singer Michael Jackson's hair burning accident that occurred during the filming of a television soda commercial while he performed his hit song "Billy Jean".
Short Forms and Long Forms Of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"
There are short forms and long forms of "Down By The Banks" of the Hanky Panky. The short form is composed of five lines. Here's a version of the short form of this rhyme:
The long form usually has those lines along with the addition of one or more stand alone (independent) children's recreational rhymes. Some "long form" versions of this rhyme are found below.
New examples of these rhymes are created daily in the United States, and probably elsewhere, thanks to the Internet and thanks to Americans who have traveled outside the United States and taught this rhyme to others.
How this rhyme is played
The short form of "Down By The Banks" appears to most often be played as a partner hand clap game. Like other hand clap games, usually it is girls under 12 years who play this game. The long form of "Down By The Banks" appears to most often be played as a lightly competitive group hand slapping game. There are a considerable number of YouTube videos that show females only or combined groups of females and males either standing in a circle or sitting in a circle and playing this hand slap game as a stress reducer or just for fun.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NksJ32bjFd4 for a video of Pete Seeger's Foolish Frog". A summary of a video of this song that was posted by Pete's sister Peggy Seeger notes that "The song is from a 1910 recording, 'May Irwin's Frog Song'. My father, Charles Seeger, composed the story to go with it, for the entertainment of his sons Charles, John and Pete. I learned the whole thing from Pete in 1955 but I tell it in my own way." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7utzhNPQhH8.
I believe that the most significant contributions to the text of many versions of the long form of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" were the early 1980s Coke and Pepsi "soda wars". Many of these "Coca Cola Came To Town" verses partly chronicle Pop singer Michael Jackson's hair burning accident that occurred during the filming of a television soda commercial while he performed his hit song "Billy Jean".
Short Forms and Long Forms Of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"
There are short forms and long forms of "Down By The Banks" of the Hanky Panky. The short form is composed of five lines. Here's a version of the short form of this rhyme:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
Where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky
With an eeps opps soda pop
He missed the lily pad.
And went Ker-Plop.
The long form usually has those lines along with the addition of one or more stand alone (independent) children's recreational rhymes. Some "long form" versions of this rhyme are found below.
New examples of these rhymes are created daily in the United States, and probably elsewhere, thanks to the Internet and thanks to Americans who have traveled outside the United States and taught this rhyme to others.
How this rhyme is played
The short form of "Down By The Banks" appears to most often be played as a partner hand clap game. Like other hand clap games, usually it is girls under 12 years who play this game. The long form of "Down By The Banks" appears to most often be played as a lightly competitive group hand slapping game. There are a considerable number of YouTube videos that show females only or combined groups of females and males either standing in a circle or sitting in a circle and playing this hand slap game as a stress reducer or just for fun.
****
Some links to other pancocojams posts about this rhyme
Some links to other pancocojams posts about this rhyme
Click these links to find additional examples of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky":
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/song-sources-for-down-by-banks-of-hanky.html "Song Sources For Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/folk-etymology-forms-of-references-to.html "Forms Of The Name "Billie Jean" In "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034 "Origin of Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"
WARNING: Some examples on that Mudcat thread and the second example after the first video contain the socially offensive word "fag". I've included that example here to illustrate how that word is/was either purposely changed or changed through the folk process.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS AND EXAMPLES
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their posting dates on YouTube, with the oldest video (and the oldest examples from that particular video's comment thread) given first. For space purposes, I've left these text examples in paragraph form as they were found instead of converting the examples to poetry form.
VIDEO #1: Down on the Banks of the Hanky Panky
Erin SchmidtUploaded on Sep 14, 2006
1st Hand Clapping Game we're teaching the kids
-snip-
Selected examples:
JeminiY. 2008
"yeah like mine when i was a kid was down by the banks of the hankey pankey where the bulfrog jumps from bank to bank singin eeps ips ooops ops jumps of a lilipad and goes kerplop"
**
xeCh0x, 2010
"I learned it as "Down by the banks of the hanky pank, where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank, saying ees, ise, opps, oops. East side dally ding-dong. Pledge allegiance to the the flag, Michael Jackson is a fag [I didn't know what this word was when I was 5...]. Coca-cola burned his butt, now he's drinking 7-up. 7-up has no caffeine, now he's drinking gasoline. Gasoline has no flavor, no he's eating Life Savors."
**
hyperpyper10, 2010
I learned it "down by the banks of the hanky banky where the bull frog jumps from bank to bankie sayin eeps ipse ooope oops i pledge allegence to the flag michael jackson makes me gag cococola burns me up now were talking 7-up. 7-up has no caffene now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of sight now were talking dynamite.10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
**
Swimmer0715, 2010
"i learned "down by the bbaks of the hanky panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky with an eeps opps oopsakadaily (idk wut haha but its prob like that) and a ker plop 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 mickey mouse had a house donald duck messed it up who shall pay the consequenses mouse or duck?" and then you spell out the choice and the person it lands on is outtt hah"
**
Samantha Mellark, 2011
"I'm 10 and I still play this game :) We do it like: Down by the banks where the hanky panks where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank saying eeps, ieps, opes, oops your mama stinks and so do you. Ping pong soda pop. Reese's piece's butter cup. Bang! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!"
**
TheJazzbabe101, 2011
"I learnt, down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank with a hip-hop-a-crackle-and-a-pop with an a, e, I, o, you are out. !!!"
**
jaslynn sanandres, 2014
"Ours was: Down by the rivers of Hankey pank, where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank sayin' E,I,O,U, yo mama stink and so do you, you tell your teacher what to wear...polka-dotted underwear, not too big, not too small"
-snip-
This form of "Down By The Banks..." usually continues with the line "just the size of [name] Mall. For example, "Just the size of Broward Mall" or "just the size of city hall".
****
VIDEO #2: Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky =P
Mickayla Royer, Uploaded on Jul 28, 2009
random game we played when we were boredddd
ahhaa
Selected examples:
welovegijoe, 2010
"mine goes : down by the bay of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank saying e, i, o, u, your moma stinks and so do you so ping pong ding dong your dady smells like king kong, tell your teacher where polka dotted underwear, not too big, not too small just the size of city hall, cokacola no caffine now were talking billie jean, billie jean is outt site now were talking dynamite, dynamite dynamite...10, 9, 8 ,7, 6, 5, 4, 3 ,2, 1!!!"
**
jasqueelin3, 2010
"I love how everyone comments how theirs is different. :D Cause mine iss.... down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky with a heeps hops soda pops hey mr. willy & he went kerplop! hahhaa :D"
**
probert11, 2010
"mine is: down by the banks of the hanky-pank where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank saying eeps oops opps opps eeps oops opps opps one fell in and went ker-PLOP."
**
Caitlin Jones, 2010
"Mine is Down by the banks of hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky with a hip hop snap crackle pop boom shaka laka laka full stop."
**
Larry Hart, 2013
"mine is down by the bank of they hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump to bank to bank saying ep op skitlepoppop i pledge aligence to the flag micheal jackson make me gag now im drinking coca cola coca cola burning up now im drinking 7 up 7 up got they flew now im drinking moutain dew mountain dew fell of the mountain now im drinking from the fountain foutain broke now im drinking plain old diet coke"
****
VIDEO #3: Down By The Banks of The Hanky Panky
hanzie99, Uploaded on Oct 2, 2010
Down by the banks of the hanky panky, Tucson version,
-snip-
Here's my transcription of the version ;f "Down By The Banks" that this is girl recites:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
Where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky
Singing eeps opps
I wanna piece of pie
Pie too sweet
I want a piece of meat
Piece of meat too tough
I wanna ride a bus
Bus too full
I wanna ride a bull
Bull too black
I want my money back
Money back too green
I want a jelly bean
Jelly bean not cooked
I want to read a book
Book to red
I wanna go to bed
Bed not made I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour
I got some Percy [?]* power
-snip-
*If "Percy" is correct, my guess is that this is the name of an area school.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/abc-its-easy-as-1-2-3-playground-rhyme.html for some other examples of rhymes that include the "I wanna piece of pie" line. I call these examples "trading rhymes" because the person chanting continually trades on item for something else.
Selected comments from Video #3's discussion thread:
Lucy Dragneel, 2011
"it's down by the bank were the hanky panky and the bull frogs jump from bank to bank singing eeps ipps opps see that house on top of the hill thats were me and my boyfriend chill smells like chicken smells like rice baby common and shot some dice"
**
Jennafu832, 2011
"down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to back singing eeps ipes opes listen to the beat play i pledge allegiance to the flag michael jackson makes me gag pepsi cola burned em up now we're singing 7 up 7up has no caffeine now we're singin billie jean billie jean went out of style now we're singin buck dial buck dial went out of style now we're singin mc ham-MER! I have no idea who "Buck Dial" is or why we sang about soft drinks and musicians... I'm just repeatin."
**
Sarah Williams, 2013
"aww i grew up with" Down by the banks
of the hanky panky
where the bull frogs jump
from bank to banky
with an eeps iipes oupss uppss
and an uflop a dilly and a uunflop flop
pepsi cola ginger ale
ginger ale ginger ginger ale ginger ale
pepsi cola ginger ale 7-up 7-up -up
you're out!!""
**
Tammy190, 2014
"That was cut[e] but for me sge went to a whole other different song. For me the second song was " Abc its easy as a 123 my mama take care of me my daddy watches mtv ohh ha I want a piece of pie pie to sweet I want a pice if meat meat to red I wanna go to bed bed not made I want some lemonade lemonade to sour I want to take a shower shower to cold I wanna piece of gold gold to shiny I want to kick some hiny hiny to fat now thats the end of that now close your eyes and count to ten who ever messes up has to start again 12345678910 so we didn't mess up and we start again" pretty long"
-snip-
I included this example to illustrate that there are also numerous versions of "that second song".
**
savannahrawr, 2014
"Me and my friends do it like " down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank with a hip hop dolly Wally dilly ding dong. Mickey Mouse built a house Donald Duck messed it up who will pay the consequences Y-O-U spells you! "
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Example #4: "Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" Game at the Roslin Orphanage
m00pabEEp, Published on Aug 2, 2012
Fun clapping game that we taught to orphans in Indonesia without having to know the local language!
Panti Asuhan Roslin: : http://www.roslinorphanage.org/
-snip-
Selected comments:
Omar Haggaz
"i thought it was down by the river of the hanky banky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank say a e i o u bamboo"
**
Joa Vega
"I thought it was down by the bay by the hanky play where the bullfrog jumped from bay to bay I say east i`s o's Isabella ding dong yo mama smell like king Kong all the way from long Wong pledge allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me mad coca colla burn in up now I'm drinking 7up 7up has more cafeen now I'm drinking gasoline.gasoline is bad for you now I'm drinking mountain dew 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 outt"
**
tracy young
"Correction its ::: down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank with and oops ops oops ops oops op silly and a goes ker plop!!!!!! I learned it in school actually"
**
TheDNDWizard
"I always play "Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky with an ep ep bi bi bo bo bom bom jump of the lilly pad kerplunk 1..2..3..4..5.."
**
Meghan Satterfield
"I learned it as "Down by the river of hanky pank, a bulldog jumped from bank to bank. Said eese peese, inky bunny Bing bong. Momma smells like King Kong. Pledge Allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson is my dad. Coca-Cola burn it up, now I'm talking 7-Up. 7-Up has no caffeine, now I'm talking Billy Jean. Billy Jean went out of style, Now I'm talking dynamite. Dynamite blew up the school, Now I'm talking really cool. 10, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!"
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Example #5: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky - Clap Game
Jenny Rice, Published on Oct 10, 2012
Lilah & Jenny
-snip-
I transcribed this video and also found the same or very similar words at this site:
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_lyrics_for_down_by_the_banks_of_the_hanky_panky
"Answer by Call Me Crazy
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
Where the bullfrogs jump form bank to banky
With a heeps, hops, soda pops
Hey Mr. Willy and he went kerplops*
With a cherry on top
Here comes Noah walking in the dark
steps on a hammer and builds the ark
Here comes the animals two by two
Hippopotamus, kangaroo
Kaboom, on you**
Deep in the jungle where nobody knows
There's a big fat gorilla picking his nose
And he picks, picks, flicks, and it lands on you
Kaboom!"
*I think that the girls in the video said "He missed the lilly and went kerplop]
** I thought the girls said "Coach roach on you".
-snip-
Selected comments: [all from 2014]
Stephanie Njeri, 2013
"me and my friends verision is like down by the banks of the hanky pank where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank say e i o um eastside westside ding dang dong i pledge alligence to the flag michael jacson makes me glad cocoa cola burns his but mow were talking 7 up. 7 up has no caffine now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of site now were talking dynamite dynamite blew up the scool now were talking really cool tarzan the monkey man swinging from a rubber band he slips he falls he fa"
**
skyetf, 2013
"Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank saying pies ipes opes epes Listen to the rythem of the sing dang song Michael Jackson went to town Coco Cola shot him down Dr Pepper fixed him up Now we are talking seven Up Seven up has no caffeine now we are talking Billy Jean Billie Jean was walking down the street singing oh I diddly diddly doo Lincoln Lincoln I been thinking what on earth have you been drinking is it whiskey is wine oh my gosh it's turbinetine 123 9"
**
Christale Lissouck, 2014
"our version is down by the river of the hanky panky were the boy got shot in the anky panky i say aeiou ur mother stinkin so do u peanut butter recces cup u mess with me i beat u up 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
**
Iridian, 2014
"I played this at a summer camp, a group of people would sit in a circle and hit each others hand in rotation until the song was over. It went like this: Down by the bank of the hanky panky where the bullbrogs jump from bank to bank and a hip hop, hippity hop, scooby dooby dooby dooby do ker-plop!"
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Addition: [Example of a hand slap version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"- added without song words or comments]
Example #6: Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky (videos
CJ Bomagat, Published on May 13, 2010
This was right after I lost...(oh darn it, I lost the game... :( :P ) & we were on a break at championships
oh & no one really knows who won...either Shanen or Stephanie...
& thanks to Kayla for singing for us ;D
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/song-sources-for-down-by-banks-of-hanky.html "Song Sources For Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/folk-etymology-forms-of-references-to.html "Forms Of The Name "Billie Jean" In "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034 "Origin of Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"
WARNING: Some examples on that Mudcat thread and the second example after the first video contain the socially offensive word "fag". I've included that example here to illustrate how that word is/was either purposely changed or changed through the folk process.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS AND EXAMPLES
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their posting dates on YouTube, with the oldest video (and the oldest examples from that particular video's comment thread) given first. For space purposes, I've left these text examples in paragraph form as they were found instead of converting the examples to poetry form.
VIDEO #1: Down on the Banks of the Hanky Panky
Erin SchmidtUploaded on Sep 14, 2006
1st Hand Clapping Game we're teaching the kids
-snip-
Selected examples:
JeminiY. 2008
"yeah like mine when i was a kid was down by the banks of the hankey pankey where the bulfrog jumps from bank to bank singin eeps ips ooops ops jumps of a lilipad and goes kerplop"
**
xeCh0x, 2010
"I learned it as "Down by the banks of the hanky pank, where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank, saying ees, ise, opps, oops. East side dally ding-dong. Pledge allegiance to the the flag, Michael Jackson is a fag [I didn't know what this word was when I was 5...]. Coca-cola burned his butt, now he's drinking 7-up. 7-up has no caffeine, now he's drinking gasoline. Gasoline has no flavor, no he's eating Life Savors."
**
hyperpyper10, 2010
I learned it "down by the banks of the hanky banky where the bull frog jumps from bank to bankie sayin eeps ipse ooope oops i pledge allegence to the flag michael jackson makes me gag cococola burns me up now were talking 7-up. 7-up has no caffene now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of sight now were talking dynamite.10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
**
Swimmer0715, 2010
"i learned "down by the bbaks of the hanky panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky with an eeps opps oopsakadaily (idk wut haha but its prob like that) and a ker plop 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 mickey mouse had a house donald duck messed it up who shall pay the consequenses mouse or duck?" and then you spell out the choice and the person it lands on is outtt hah"
**
Samantha Mellark, 2011
"I'm 10 and I still play this game :) We do it like: Down by the banks where the hanky panks where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank saying eeps, ieps, opes, oops your mama stinks and so do you. Ping pong soda pop. Reese's piece's butter cup. Bang! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!"
**
TheJazzbabe101, 2011
"I learnt, down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank with a hip-hop-a-crackle-and-a-pop with an a, e, I, o, you are out. !!!"
**
jaslynn sanandres, 2014
"Ours was: Down by the rivers of Hankey pank, where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank sayin' E,I,O,U, yo mama stink and so do you, you tell your teacher what to wear...polka-dotted underwear, not too big, not too small"
-snip-
This form of "Down By The Banks..." usually continues with the line "just the size of [name] Mall. For example, "Just the size of Broward Mall" or "just the size of city hall".
****
VIDEO #2: Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky =P
Mickayla Royer, Uploaded on Jul 28, 2009
random game we played when we were boredddd
ahhaa
Selected examples:
welovegijoe, 2010
"mine goes : down by the bay of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank saying e, i, o, u, your moma stinks and so do you so ping pong ding dong your dady smells like king kong, tell your teacher where polka dotted underwear, not too big, not too small just the size of city hall, cokacola no caffine now were talking billie jean, billie jean is outt site now were talking dynamite, dynamite dynamite...10, 9, 8 ,7, 6, 5, 4, 3 ,2, 1!!!"
**
jasqueelin3, 2010
"I love how everyone comments how theirs is different. :D Cause mine iss.... down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky with a heeps hops soda pops hey mr. willy & he went kerplop! hahhaa :D"
**
probert11, 2010
"mine is: down by the banks of the hanky-pank where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank saying eeps oops opps opps eeps oops opps opps one fell in and went ker-PLOP."
**
Caitlin Jones, 2010
"Mine is Down by the banks of hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky with a hip hop snap crackle pop boom shaka laka laka full stop."
**
Larry Hart, 2013
"mine is down by the bank of they hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump to bank to bank saying ep op skitlepoppop i pledge aligence to the flag micheal jackson make me gag now im drinking coca cola coca cola burning up now im drinking 7 up 7 up got they flew now im drinking moutain dew mountain dew fell of the mountain now im drinking from the fountain foutain broke now im drinking plain old diet coke"
****
VIDEO #3: Down By The Banks of The Hanky Panky
hanzie99, Uploaded on Oct 2, 2010
Down by the banks of the hanky panky, Tucson version,
-snip-
Here's my transcription of the version ;f "Down By The Banks" that this is girl recites:
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
Where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky
Singing eeps opps
I wanna piece of pie
Pie too sweet
I want a piece of meat
Piece of meat too tough
I wanna ride a bus
Bus too full
I wanna ride a bull
Bull too black
I want my money back
Money back too green
I want a jelly bean
Jelly bean not cooked
I want to read a book
Book to red
I wanna go to bed
Bed not made I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour
I got some Percy [?]* power
-snip-
*If "Percy" is correct, my guess is that this is the name of an area school.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/abc-its-easy-as-1-2-3-playground-rhyme.html for some other examples of rhymes that include the "I wanna piece of pie" line. I call these examples "trading rhymes" because the person chanting continually trades on item for something else.
Selected comments from Video #3's discussion thread:
Lucy Dragneel, 2011
"it's down by the bank were the hanky panky and the bull frogs jump from bank to bank singing eeps ipps opps see that house on top of the hill thats were me and my boyfriend chill smells like chicken smells like rice baby common and shot some dice"
**
Jennafu832, 2011
"down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to back singing eeps ipes opes listen to the beat play i pledge allegiance to the flag michael jackson makes me gag pepsi cola burned em up now we're singing 7 up 7up has no caffeine now we're singin billie jean billie jean went out of style now we're singin buck dial buck dial went out of style now we're singin mc ham-MER! I have no idea who "Buck Dial" is or why we sang about soft drinks and musicians... I'm just repeatin."
**
Sarah Williams, 2013
"aww i grew up with" Down by the banks
of the hanky panky
where the bull frogs jump
from bank to banky
with an eeps iipes oupss uppss
and an uflop a dilly and a uunflop flop
pepsi cola ginger ale
ginger ale ginger ginger ale ginger ale
pepsi cola ginger ale 7-up 7-up -up
you're out!!""
**
Tammy190, 2014
"That was cut[e] but for me sge went to a whole other different song. For me the second song was " Abc its easy as a 123 my mama take care of me my daddy watches mtv ohh ha I want a piece of pie pie to sweet I want a pice if meat meat to red I wanna go to bed bed not made I want some lemonade lemonade to sour I want to take a shower shower to cold I wanna piece of gold gold to shiny I want to kick some hiny hiny to fat now thats the end of that now close your eyes and count to ten who ever messes up has to start again 12345678910 so we didn't mess up and we start again" pretty long"
-snip-
I included this example to illustrate that there are also numerous versions of "that second song".
**
savannahrawr, 2014
"Me and my friends do it like " down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank with a hip hop dolly Wally dilly ding dong. Mickey Mouse built a house Donald Duck messed it up who will pay the consequences Y-O-U spells you! "
****
Example #4: "Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" Game at the Roslin Orphanage
m00pabEEp, Published on Aug 2, 2012
Fun clapping game that we taught to orphans in Indonesia without having to know the local language!
Panti Asuhan Roslin: : http://www.roslinorphanage.org/
-snip-
Selected comments:
Omar Haggaz
"i thought it was down by the river of the hanky banky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank say a e i o u bamboo"
**
Joa Vega
"I thought it was down by the bay by the hanky play where the bullfrog jumped from bay to bay I say east i`s o's Isabella ding dong yo mama smell like king Kong all the way from long Wong pledge allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me mad coca colla burn in up now I'm drinking 7up 7up has more cafeen now I'm drinking gasoline.gasoline is bad for you now I'm drinking mountain dew 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10 outt"
**
tracy young
"Correction its ::: down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank with and oops ops oops ops oops op silly and a goes ker plop!!!!!! I learned it in school actually"
**
TheDNDWizard
"I always play "Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky with an ep ep bi bi bo bo bom bom jump of the lilly pad kerplunk 1..2..3..4..5.."
**
Meghan Satterfield
"I learned it as "Down by the river of hanky pank, a bulldog jumped from bank to bank. Said eese peese, inky bunny Bing bong. Momma smells like King Kong. Pledge Allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson is my dad. Coca-Cola burn it up, now I'm talking 7-Up. 7-Up has no caffeine, now I'm talking Billy Jean. Billy Jean went out of style, Now I'm talking dynamite. Dynamite blew up the school, Now I'm talking really cool. 10, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!"
****
Example #5: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky - Clap Game
Jenny Rice, Published on Oct 10, 2012
Lilah & Jenny
-snip-
I transcribed this video and also found the same or very similar words at this site:
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_lyrics_for_down_by_the_banks_of_the_hanky_panky
"Answer by Call Me Crazy
Down by the banks of the hanky panky
Where the bullfrogs jump form bank to banky
With a heeps, hops, soda pops
Hey Mr. Willy and he went kerplops*
With a cherry on top
Here comes Noah walking in the dark
steps on a hammer and builds the ark
Here comes the animals two by two
Hippopotamus, kangaroo
Kaboom, on you**
Deep in the jungle where nobody knows
There's a big fat gorilla picking his nose
And he picks, picks, flicks, and it lands on you
Kaboom!"
*I think that the girls in the video said "He missed the lilly and went kerplop]
** I thought the girls said "Coach roach on you".
-snip-
Selected comments: [all from 2014]
Stephanie Njeri, 2013
"me and my friends verision is like down by the banks of the hanky pank where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank say e i o um eastside westside ding dang dong i pledge alligence to the flag michael jacson makes me glad cocoa cola burns his but mow were talking 7 up. 7 up has no caffine now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of site now were talking dynamite dynamite blew up the scool now were talking really cool tarzan the monkey man swinging from a rubber band he slips he falls he fa"
**
skyetf, 2013
"Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank saying pies ipes opes epes Listen to the rythem of the sing dang song Michael Jackson went to town Coco Cola shot him down Dr Pepper fixed him up Now we are talking seven Up Seven up has no caffeine now we are talking Billy Jean Billie Jean was walking down the street singing oh I diddly diddly doo Lincoln Lincoln I been thinking what on earth have you been drinking is it whiskey is wine oh my gosh it's turbinetine 123 9"
**
Christale Lissouck, 2014
"our version is down by the river of the hanky panky were the boy got shot in the anky panky i say aeiou ur mother stinkin so do u peanut butter recces cup u mess with me i beat u up 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
**
Iridian, 2014
"I played this at a summer camp, a group of people would sit in a circle and hit each others hand in rotation until the song was over. It went like this: Down by the bank of the hanky panky where the bullbrogs jump from bank to bank and a hip hop, hippity hop, scooby dooby dooby dooby do ker-plop!"
****
Addition: [Example of a hand slap version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"- added without song words or comments]
Example #6: Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky (videos
CJ Bomagat, Published on May 13, 2010
This was right after I lost...(oh darn it, I lost the game... :( :P ) & we were on a break at championships
oh & no one really knows who won...either Shanen or Stephanie...
& thanks to Kayla for singing for us ;D
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
I believe the most standard version of the short form of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhyme is:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks of the Hanky Panky
Where the bull frogs jumped from bank to banky
With an eeps opps soda pops
He missed the lilly pad
And went Ker-Plop!
-snip-
In this post, I'm particularly interested in how the words to that version and other examples of "Down By The Banks"... have been folk processed (changed over time or within the same time because of subetituting familiar words for unfamiliar words, mishearing, misremembering, and/or substituting societal correct words for words that aren't acceptable.
For example, instead of "missed the lilly", the chanters say something like "Hey Mr. Willy.".
Also, in what I call "the Michael Jackson" versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky", it's interesting to notice the rhyming word (or near rhyming word) that replaces the offensive referent for homosexuals. (such as "gag", "mad", and "dad".
These examples don't showcase the many folk processed forms of the name "Billie Jean" that are found in a number of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" examples. A link to a pancocojams post that showcases some of those examples is found above.
Mine is “down by the banks of the Hanky Panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank singing eeps ipes opes oops listen to the rhythm of the ding ding bell Michael Jackson went to town Coca Cola shut him down Dr Pepper fixed him up now we’re talking 7up 7up has no caffeine now we’re talking Billy Jean Billy Jean walked down the street singing doo da diddy diddy dum diddy dum Lincoln Lincoln I’ve been thinking what on earth have you been drinking is it whiskey is it wine oh my gosh it’s summertime 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DeleteThat’s the one I know except for CocaCola shot him down it’s PepsiCola and instead of summertime it’s dinnertime
DeleteThanks for your comments, Anonymous December 6, 2017 at 8:36 AM and Anonymous March 25, 2010 at 7:30 PM.
DeleteI learned it like;
DeleteDown by the banks of the Hanky Panky where bullfrogs jump from bank to bank singing ee aa oo o boom slap a dilly and a ballroom on you
super weird I know 😂
Anonymous June 16, 2022, thanks for sharing that example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky". I hadn't come across that "and a ballroom on you" ending before. I suspect that it probably came about because some other words were misheard or misremembered. :o)
DeleteMine goes : Down by the banks of the hanky panky, where the bull frog jumps from bank to bank, with a eeps oops over the tops and lands on a Lilly pad with a kurplops, I pledge allegiance to the flag, Justin Bieber makes me gag, Coca-Cola has caffeine, and now we're talking billy jean, billy jeanwent outta style and let's sit down and talk awhile, there's a party around the corner will you please please come, bring your own cappuccino and your own chewing gum 1..2..3..4.. Out!
DeleteHello, Anonymous. Thanks for sharing your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky". I like that it features Justin Bieber instead of Michael Jackson and I haven't come across that one before with the cappuccino and chewing gum ending.
DeleteWhen did you say this one (what year/decade)? I'm curious if people are still changing these rhymes.
Thanks again!
my version also ended with ee-ahah-oo-uu oops slap a dilly and a ballroom
DeleteHello, Anonymous, Nov. 24, 2023. Thanks for sharing your version of the end of that "Down By The Banks of the Hanky Panky" rhyme.
DeleteWhen and where did you chant that version of Down By The Banks Of the Hanky Panky"?
I also want to note that I find it to be both significant and promising that so many bloggers have moved away from the position that the version of a rhyme that they know is "the right" one, or the only right one.
ReplyDeleteInstead a number of bloggers on YouTube preface their examples with something like "this is the one I learned" and "I say it this way".
I believe that it's appropriate to attempt to document the earliest examples of rhymes, chants, and singing games. However, just because an example is folk processed doesn't mean that its words are wrong.
Then again, a case can be made for inauthentic examples of children's recreational rhymes, cheers, and songs (examples that teens or adults make up and pretend that they are real rhymes from their childhood or from other children.)
One clue that a playground rhyme might be inauthentic is when it contains references and/or use words that children usually don't use. Another clue is when they rhyme appears to be unlike other examples of that rhyme and of other stand alone rhymes which might be combined with that rhyme. I'm thinking of an example of a rhyme that was posted to a Mudcat folk music thread that was supposedly from a teen's memory of his childhood. That example's rhythm flow (textual pattern) was off, and it was full of sexual references.
Collecting children's rhymes over the internet can be tricky. Sometimes you can tell when someone is trying to pull one over on you. Sometimes you aren't sure, and sometimes you are fooled.
Mine is "down by the banks of the hanky panky ,where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, with a heep, hop ,soda pop, down by the river with a big pop" then whoever can pop the other persons cheeks first with
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hatsune Miku for sharing your example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"!
DeleteHatsune, my apologies for deleting what I thought was a duplicate copy of your comment. I think the ending to that comment explained that the partner who popped the other person's cheek first won that hand clapping routine.
DeleteIf so, I hope that "popping" means to gently tap or gently pat :o)
Mines is "down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bull frog jumps from bank to bank saying eeps ipse opse oops your mama smell like King Kong I pledge Allegiance to the flag Michael Jackson makes me gag cocoa cola burns me up now were talking 7 up,7 up has no caffeine now were talking billy jean, billy jean went out at sight now were talking Dynamite, dynamite blew up the school now were talking really cool 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.. Out...
DeleteThanks for sharing your example, Unknown.
DeleteI appreciate it!
ours was “down by the river hanky panky twenty-five dollas anky manky
DeleteEast
Meez
Simon seas
Issa misa ding dong, yo mama smell like King Kong
Pledge allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson peed his pants
Hello, Anonymous. Thanks for sharing that example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
DeleteI hadn't come across that version before. I'm curious where you first chanted it (city/state) and when (year or decade) and whether it was a partner hand clapping game, a group hand slapping game, or what other motions you did with it.
Mine is, Down by the Hanky Pank, were the bull frogs jump from bank to bank we sang I, e, o, u. Pledge allegiance to the flag Michel Jackson is my dad, cocoa cola burnt his butt, now we are drinking 7up, 7up has no caffeine now we're talking Billie Jean, Billie Jean went out of sight now we're talking dynamite, dynamite blue up my school now we're talking really cool, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Mikey mouse built a house and Donald duck messed it up. Who will pay the consequences, y,o,u spells you.
DeleteSNIP
It is a hand game with only two people
Thanks, Anonymous for sharing your example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" and thanks for including information about how that game is played.
DeleteIs this a game that you and your friends still play now (in the 2023)?
I wonder if the people who chant the line "Michael Jackson is my dad" knew of Michael Jackson when he was the superstar R&B singer.
Mine was: Down by the banks of the hanky lanky where the bullfrogs jumped from bank to bank.He said EIOS. Pledge allegiance to the flag, Michael Jackson makes me gag. Coca Cola burned his butt, now I'm drinking 7-up. 7-up has no caffeine now I'm drinking gasoline. Gasoline had no great taste, now I'm drinking toxic waste. Tarzan jungle man swinging from a rubber band fell down bust his butt what color was it. R-E-D Red
ReplyDeleteThanks for your example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Emily Gundel. (I just noticed your example uses the word "lanky" instead of "panky". I don't know if that is a typo or not.)
DeleteYour example combines 3 different rhyme:
1. a version of the basic Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky playground rhyme- without the line about the bullfrog jumping into the lake...
2. a version of the Pledge Allegiance To The Flag playground rhyme
and
3. A version of "Tarzan The Jungle Man" playground rhyme.
I'd love to know some demographics (where-what city/state if in the USA or what country and when - what year) you chanted this version.
Thanks again!
My version is " down by the river of the Hankey Pankey where the boy got shot in the anky panky, saying est ast ooo your mama stinks and so do you. Sundae with a cherry on top resse's pieces butter cup. Coca cola went to town, diet pepsi shot him down. Dr. Pepper fixed him up, now we're drinking 7 up. 7 up had no caffeine, now we're drinking gasoline. Gasoline had no fuel, now we're Mountain Dew. Mountain fell off the mountain, now where drinking from the fountain. Finally the
ReplyDeleteFountain broke, now we're drink old plain coke. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9....10!
Thanks for sharing your example, Unknown.
DeleteI appreciate it!
I was taught: Down by the river, hanky panky
ReplyDeletetwenty-five dollars, hanky panky
he said, she said, he said, she said,
ding-dong, your mother smell like King Kong
King Kong, leprechaun
went to school with no pants on.
Teacher said that's not fair
Give him back his underwear.
What color was his underwear?
At the end, you just shouted any color.
Thanks, anonymous.
DeleteI hadn't heard your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" before.
I appreciate you adding it to the folkloric record.
I'd love to know where (what city/state) you recited it in, and when (year of decade) and whether it was performed as a two person hand clap routine, or group hand slap elimination game, or otherwise.
Thanks again!
This is how we sang it:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks
with the hanky panks
the bullfrogs jumps from banks to banks
saying e i o u
your mama stinks and so do you
ping pong ding dong
your daddy smells like king kong
on your feet and on your toes
your daddy wears pink panty hoes
Thanks, Unknown.
DeleteI appreciate you sharing this version of "Down by the banks of the hanky panky".
I wonder if you and your friends played this while standing (or sitting) in a circle as a hand slapping elimination game. Also, I wonder if "hoses" is the word you meant and not "hoes".
Thanks again!
We always used to play it like this:
DeleteDown by the bank of Hanky Panky
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
With an eeps opes eeps opes eeps opes oops opes KERPLOP
Pepsi cola ginger ale
Ginger ale ginger ale ginger ale ginger ale
Pepsi cola ginger ale
7up 7up 7up you're out!!
Thanks for sharing your example, Anonymous.
DeleteI appreciate it!
I learned it as " Down by the banks with the hanky park where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank Isabella ding dong I pledge of allegiance to the flag Justin Bieber makes me gag Coca-Cola burn it up now we're drinking 7 up 7 up has no caffeine now we're drinking gasoline gasoline ran out of fuel now we're drinking Mountain Dew Moutain Dew fell of a mountain now I'm drinking from a fountain the fountain broke and now we're drinking plan old coke
ReplyDeleteDingdongfiddlesnap51.
DeleteThanks for sharing that example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
I hadn't heard or read that example before. It's a great addition to this collection!
When I was a kid in Kansas City, MO in the early 90's, it was:
ReplyDelete"Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky
Where the bullfrogs jumped from bank to bank
(Maybe something else here...)
I said ee-apopa, oh-apopa, i-apopa, POW!"
I can't find anything to confirm it, though. :-\
If someone has heard it like this, please let me know!
DeleteHi, Melissa Rodgers.
DeleteThanks for sharing the version of "Down By The Banks of The Hanky Panky" that you remember. I haven't read this version anywhere else. Here's hoping that it sounds familiar to someone who will respond to your comment.
My son brought a version of this song home from camp and since it was different from the version I grew up with I came looking it up - this is the version I used. I also grew up in KC (in the 80s), so it was clearly a local variant!
DeleteAlthough I think we usually repeated the "ee-apoppa oh-apoppa" three times before moving on to the "i-apoppa POW" part. But I could be misremembering?
Yes! As a kid in the 90s in Kansas this is what I learned too. And where you said “(there might be somthing else here)” I don’t remember anything. I was trying to find someone else who knew this the way I do. This is exactly how I remember it!!
DeleteThanks to Brandy, October 2, 2018 and Ar_8885June 16, 2021 for adding to the folkloric record for versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
DeleteI'm glad that people sharing versions are adding demographic information (especially where and when they remember their version/s from.)
Keep the versions coming!!
Down by the banks of the hanky panks where the bullfrogs jump from banks to bank singin Hip’ hop’ soda pop. I Pledge allegiance to the flag, michael jackson makes me gag. Coca cola burned his butt, now he’s drinkin 7up. 7up has no caffine, so we’re drinkin billy jean. Billy jean went out of sight, now we’re drinkin sprite. SPELL IT! S P R I T E
ReplyDeleteNoodles, thanks for sharing your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky"!
DeleteThis is so funny actually, I randomly remember this rhyme and go to add mine down here and here I am in 2018 doing the same thing... I went by noodles back then lmao.
DeleteThanks again, Noodles! It's interesting that you remembered this rhyme from way back when but forgot that you had already added it to this online discussion thread.
DeleteThanks two times!!
Our version was pretty simple:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks of the hanky-panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
with an ee-ee, ah-ah, oh-oh, umm.
Down by the riverbank,
Ker-plunk!
and the idea was to smack the hand of the -plunk person as hard as possible.
This was upstate NY, in the suburbs north of Syracuse in the 90's.
Amanda, thanks for sharing the version of "Down By The Hanky Panky".
DeleteIt appears that your way of performing this rhyme was as a group competitive hand slapping game and not a partner hand clapping game. I think the partner hand clapping game was an earlier performance activity than the hand slapping activity.
But I wonder if anyone remembers jumping rope while chanting this rhyme or a similar "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhyme.
@Amanda M
DeleteMine is similar to yours at the beginning but instead of saying ee-ee, ah-ah, oh-oh, ummm, mine was fi, fy, fo, fum. I've been trying to find the right lyrics from when I was a kid and played the game with my neighbors. So far ive had no luck. I've been trying to remember what comes after fi, fy, fo, fum but I cant remember. I just remembered that it had something to do with giants. I'm from the Midwest, and I remember singing it in the early 2000s. If anyone knows the rest of the lyrics and could help me out I'd be grateful!
UnknownJune 13, 2021 at 2:15 PM,
DeleteThanks for sharing the version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that you remember.
Hopefully someone will respond to your request for the missing words in your version.
Mine also used "fi fy, fo, fum!" I was surprised to see that no one else learned it like that!
DeleteMy version was:
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank-y
Saying fi, fy, fo, fum,
Watch out, the bullfrog jumps!
Anonymous, thanks for sharing your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that includes the "fi, fy, fo, fum" words.
DeleteUnknown (June 13, 2021) wrote that their version included those words, but didn't know what came afterwords. but "remembered that it had something to do with giants."
[As an aside, it's interesting that you wrote your comment on the same day exactly one year later that Unknown's comment was written.]
The words "fee fi fo fum" were said by the giant in the "Jack In The Beanstalk" fairy tale. But, if I understand Unknown (June 13, 2021)'s comment correctly, there were additional words in their version of "Down By The Banks..." that referred to a giant or giants. If so, your version isn't the exact same one that Unknown remembers.
this is how i learned it. " Down by the river of Hanky panky where the bull frogs jump from Bank to bank saying E, I, O, U, yo mama stinks and so do you, Ping Pong donkey Kong senior year of the i pledge Alliegence (or however you spell it) to the flag, Micheal Jackson makes me Gag, Mountain Dew fell off the Mountain now i'm drinking from a fountain, Fountain broke now im drinking. Plain. Old. Coke"
ReplyDeleteHailey, thanks for sharing the version of the "Hanky Panky" rhyme that you learned.
DeleteThere are so many versions of this rhyme. but every tune that I've heard (online via YouTube and in person) is the same.
This is how I learned it:
ReplyDeleteDown by the river of the hanky banks
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
sayin' fee, fi, foe, fum,
Miso miso ding dang dong
I pledge allegiance to the flag ,
Micheal Jackson is my dad
cokacola burns his butt,
now were talkin 7 up
7 up has no caffeine
now were talkin billy jean
billy jean is out of sight,
now were talkin dynamite,
downright blew up the school,
now were talkin really cool
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Micky mouse built a house, donold duck messed it up,
Who will pay the consequences?
Y-O-U spells you
hpuppiesz636, October 29, 2018
DeleteThanks for sharing your example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
Your example combines versions of "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag, and Mickey Mouse Built A House".
Best wishes!
Pancocojams Editor: Here's a post from Web India Crown
ReplyDeleteon 8/16/18 that I thought I had deleted. Thanks for sharing this example!
"When I was a kid I sung it like "down by the banks of the hanky panky, where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, with a hip hip polly wolly dilly ding dong."
I learned it as:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks of the hanky panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Singing eeps ipes opes oops
Listen to the rhythm of the ding dang dong.
Michael Jackson went to town
Pepsi-Cola shut him down
Dr. Pepper fixed him up
Now we're talking 7-Up.
7-Up has no caffeine
Now we're talking Billy Jean
Billy Jean went down the street
Singing doo da diddy diddy dum diddy doo.
Lincoln, Lincoln, I've been thinking
What on Earth have you been drinking
Is it whiskey? Is it wine?
Oh my gosh: it's suppertime!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
Hello, Anonymous.
DeleteThanks for sharing that version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
I remember the Lincoln Lincoln verse from my youth or thereabouts, but the last line I remember is "Oh my gosh, it's turpentine".
I'm wondering how you played this game while chanting this rhyme. Did you chant this rhyme while doing two person hand claps or did you play it as a group hand slapping/elimination game?
We played it as the group hand slapping/elimination game.
DeleteThanks for responding Anonymous.
DeleteI appreciate it!
Here's the one i learned...
ReplyDelete"Down by the banks of the hanky panks where bullfrogs jump from banks singin eeps ipes opes your out."
We played it as a group hand elimination game.
Thanks for sharing this version of "Down By The Banks", Anonymous.
DeleteMine is
ReplyDeletedown by the river where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank saying e o woppa I o woppa e o woppa pow!
Unknown August 26, 2019 at 11:12 AM, thanks for sharing your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
DeleteI learned it as down by the bank of the hanky pank wjere the bullfrogs jump from bamk to bank saying eeps ipse ops oops chili willy ding dong i pledge allegience to the flag Michael jackson makes me gag
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that version, Unknown.
DeleteI appreciate your addition to this collection.
The two line verse that begins "I pledge allegiance to the flag" and ends with [insert the name of a celebrity who a lot of people dislike] and end with a word that rhymes with "gag" is interesting. I haven't found it in any other children's recreational rhyme but ones that are extensions of "Down by the banks of the hanky panky" or "Coca Cola [or some other brand of soda] came to town."
ReplyDeleteIf anyone knows examples of this verse that are found in any other rhyme, please share them.
We played this version all the time when I was in elementary school
ReplyDeleteDown by the river in the Hanky Pank, where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank. Say E I O U, your mama stinks and so do you. So ding dong, Donkey Kong. Your daddy smells like old King Kong.
Thanks Unknow for sharing the version of "Hanky Panky" that you remember.
DeleteI appreciate your addition to this collection.
Mine was "Down by the river of the hanky pank, where the bullfrogs jump from Bank to bank, saying eese, use, ose, oose chilly Willy ding, dong." Then there was the song, sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle": Coca cola went to town, then RC shot him down. 7up picked him up and took him to Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper made him well, RC went to jail. That is why I drink Ginger ale...
ReplyDeleteUnknown (December 21, 2019)
DeleteThanks for sharing your example of this rhyme. This is the first time that I ever read or heard "RC went to jail/thanks why I drink Ginger ale". :o))
Mine was: Down by the banks of the hank panky, a bullfrog jumped from bank to bank, saying eebs, iebs, soda pop, he missed the lily pad, and went kerplop.
ReplyDeleteI pledge allegiance to the flag Justin Bieber makes me gag, Pepsi cola fizzes up, and now we're drinking 7 up, 7 up has no caffeine, now I'm drinking gasoline, gasoline has got the flu, now I'm drinking mountain dew, mountain dew fell of the mountain, now I'm drinking from the fountain, Oh No! The fountain broke and now I'm drinking plain...old...diet....coke
Heeleee, thanks for sharing the example of "Down by the banks of the hanky panky.
DeleteThis is the first time I've "heard" an example of "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" that referred to Justin Bieber.
The referent to that singer reinforces the view that-reflecting the opinions of some people in the general public- there's something problematic/unlikeable about the celebrities that are referred to in that rhyme- at least by those who chant those particular versions.
Down by the river of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
ReplyDeleteyelling e i o u
Your momma stinks and so do you
so ping pong ding dong
your daddy looks like king kong
so up your nose and through your toes
your dad is wearing pantyhose
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Thanks JSeitz.
DeleteI appreciate you sharing your example of "Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky".
This is a taunting example of that rhyme, although I'm not sure that everyone who chanted it knew that they were dissing (insulting) people when they chanted 1. your momma stinks..., 2. your daddy looks like king kong, and 3.your dad is wearing pantyhose".
Best wishes!
We always sang:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
with the eeps oops, over the tops
And he lands on a lily pad with a kerplop
We'd also sometimes add the:
Pepsi cola ginger ale
Ginger ale ginger ale ginger ale ginger ale
And I genuinely don't remember the ending we did, but it wasn't one of the ones listed above. Let me know if you have ending suggestions!
Maya, thanks for sharing your example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
DeleteThe ending for that second part might have repeated the name Pepsi Cola again or probably chanted the name of another soda (pop; soft drink), but beyond that guess, I don't have any suggestions.
Best wishes!
We would always start out with this intro:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks with the hanky panky
Where the bullfrog jumps from bank to banky
With and eeps ipes opes upps
Jumps down to the lily with a big kerplup
Then sometimes we would sing the second verse like this:
Chilly willy ding dong
Your mama smells like King Kong
Lets play a game of ping pong
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Other times we would sing the second verse like this:
Pepsi cola ginger ale
Ginger ale ginger ale ginger ale
Pepsi cola ginger ale
7up 7up 7up you're out
Also with this game you would sit criss cross apple sauce in a circle with your hands out on your sides with one person's next to you hands on top of yours and the other person's underneath yours. You would go around and slap the other person's hand in a circle once the song started. Then when the song was at its ending whoever's hand was the last one to be slapped would be out. However you could escape that bye pulling back your hand so that it didn't get slapped right before it did. Though if you were to pull your hand out too early then you would be out instead.
Claudia, thanks for sharing the words to the version of "Down by the banks of the hanky panky".
DeleteI really appreciate you sharing how you played that game. I usually think of it as a game played while standing so I'm glad you shared that it can also be played while sitting down. After all, some people may not be able to stand so they can still have fun playing this game.
Claudia, you didn't include when [what decade] and where (what state if in the USA or what nation outside of the USA) you first played this game. Also, did boys as well as girls play this game and what was the average age range?
I'd love to include that information for the folkloric record.
Thanks again!!
I remember doing this very often in elementary school at the local YMCA during summer camp or KidsRKids during the school year. Ours went:
ReplyDeleteDown by the banks of the Hanky Panky,
Where the Bull Frogs jump from bank to bank-y,
Saying Eeps; Iips; Ops; Umps;
Chilly, Willy, Ding, Dong,
Your breathe smells like King Kong,
Coca-Cola fills you up,
Now you're drinking Seven-Up,
Seven-Up has no caffeine,
Now you're drinking GAS-O-LINE (last three syllables of the line are drawn out and more stressed)
This was in the northern/northwestern suburbs of Houston during the early-/mid-2000s.
Anonymous, thanks for sharing this example of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
DeleteI'm glad you added when and where information.
For the folkloric record, I'll add it to this pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/part-ii-of-some-down-by-banks-of-hanky.html Part II of Some "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes" With Geographic Locations (K - Z)
Thanks again!
Oops, sorry. I forgot that post was only for examples of rhymes from a certain Mudcat discussion thread.
DeleteInstead of that post, I added it to this pancocojams post:
An Alphabetized Compilation Of A Few United States Children's Playground Rhymes That Were Given With Date & Place Demographical Information:
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/a-compilation-of-united-states.html
PS: As a result of my re-publishing your example in those other pancocojams posts, I spotted some hyperlink errors, and was able to fix them. So double thanks!
Mine was "Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky saying eeps ipes opes umps one falls in and goes kerplop. Hinky pinky ponky daddy had a donkey coca cola burning up now we're drinking 7-up 7-up has no caffeine now we're drinking grenadine. Grenadine is out of style now we're going back a while eeps ipes opes umps one falls in and goes kerplop"
ReplyDelete*Disclaimer: I had no idea what the other campers were saying half the time so I might just be making up some words here. I was just going off straight vibes
Hi! I know this is awful late, but I figured I could contribute!
ReplyDeleteMy version always went:
Down by the banks with the hanky panks,
Where the bullfrogs jump from banks to banks,
Saying eeps, ipes, opes, oops!
Listen to the rhythm of the ding dang dong.
Michael Jackson went to town,
Pepsi-Cola shot him down,
Dr. Pepper fixed him up,
Now we're talkin' 7up.
7up has no caffeine,
Now we're talkin' Billie Jean.
Billie Jean walked down the street singin'
"doo a diddy, diddy dum diddy doo"
Lincoln Lincoln I've been thinkin'
What on Earth have you been drinkin'?
Is it whiskey? Is it wine?
Oh my gosh it's dinner time!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10!
This version was played by sitting in a circle slapping each other's hands, and whoever's hand was slapped last was out. This continued with a group of probably 15 girls until the final two, where one would cross their arms and the other would hold their hands, then swing their arms back and forth until the end of the chant. The person with their arms crossed at the end would lose. This was in the early 2010s (2013-14) in central Kentucky, near Lexington, with older elementary school girls- fourth and fifth grade, so ages 9-11
Anonymous, thanks for sharing the version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that you remember.
DeleteThanks also for adding performance directions and demographic information (where and when you learned this rhyme as well as the gender of those who played this rhyme.)
It's never too late to add to the folkloric record.
Best wishes!
Ive always known it as “Down by the banks of the hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank singing eeps opps soda pop hey mr willy and went kerplop”
ReplyDeleteHello, Anonymous.
DeleteThanks for sharing that version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
That appears to be one of the "popular" versions of that rhyme as it is quoted a number of times on various internet websites.
Best wishes!
Mine was the best I learned it in elementary school living in MO "down by the bank in the hanky pank where the bull frogs jump from bank to bank sayin fee fi fo fum me say me say ding dang dong. Coca Cola busted up now we’re talking 7-up 7-up has no caffeine now were talking billy jean. billy jean is out of sight now were talking dynamite dynamite blew up the school now we’re talking super cool. I pledge allegiance to the flag that michael jackson.10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks for sharing your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that your learned in your elementary school in Missouri.
DeleteI haven't come across that version before in those exact same words.
There are sooo many examples of this rhyme.
A different version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" from Virginia was sent to this pancocojams post on Feb. 26, 2023:
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/part-ii-of-some-down-by-banks-of-hanky.html Part II of Some "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes" With Geographic Locations (K - Z)
Also, a completely different version of that rhyme from New Orleans, Louisiana was sent to that same
pancocojams post on Feb. 28, 2023 shortly before you sent yours to this pancocojams post.
Each of these examples were ones that the commenters remembered. These examples and the other examples that I've come across point out how widely spread and popular a rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" was.
I wonder if that rhyme is still popular and widely spread in the United States.
A few examples of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" in the pancocojams geographic series about that rhyme document that it was known outside of the USA (such as in England). However, I don't know how popular that rhyme was (or still is) outside of the USA.
I learned the version I know as a kid in the early 2000's I think I was in 4th grade so that will be around 2003-2004 in Northwest Louisiana. The version we sang was quite a bit shorter and we would sit in a circle and do a hand slapping game until one person was left.
ReplyDeleteThe lyrics went
Down by the riverfront hanky panky where the bullfrogs say your booties stanky and a hip hop lollipop AEIOU bamboo on YOU.
Anonymous, thanks for sharing your version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" and thanks for including demographics and information about how you played that hand clapping game.
DeleteI added this example in the comment section of https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/part-ii-of-some-down-by-banks-of-hanky.html. That post is part II of a pancocojams series that compiles versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that includes contributors' geographic information.
Mine was always:
ReplyDeleteDown by the riverside of hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Saying A E I O U bamboo! (Whoever’s hand was the one to be slapped at “boo” was out) the long version is:
Down by the riverside of hanky panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
Saying A E I O U bamboo!
Michael Jackson went to town
Coca Cola shot him down
Dr Pepper shot him up
Now we’re talking 7-up
7-up has no caffeine
Now we’re talking Billie Jean
Billie Jean went down the street singing
Doo ah diddy diddy dum diddy doo
Doo ah diddy diddy dum diddy doo
A E I O U bamboo!
Thanks Anonymous for adding your two examples of "Down By The Riverside Of Hanky Panky" to this collection of that recreational rhyme. I don't recall reading the line "AEIOU bamboo!" before.
DeleteI appreciate it!
I haven't heard anyone share my childhood version. I grew up in Northeast Ohio and learned it from my school bus driver around 2006-2008. "Down by the banks of the hanky panky/where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky/with an oops/ops/oops/ops/oops ops silly and he goes 'Kerplop!" (the / marks are when we would pause on the lines). I've never heard anyone say "oops ops silly" when I've shared this with people in the past. So interesting!
ReplyDeleteHello, Anonymous. Thanks for sharing the version of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that you remember and thanks for sharing where, when and from whom you learned it
DeleteI believe that the words "he jumped on the lily" (meaning the frog tried to jump onto the lily pad) "and went kerplop!" has been converted by folk processing to similar sounding words The words ""oops ops silly" is another example of those words.
Best wishes!