Latest Update - November 6, 20223
The Addendum to this post presents an example of this line in a foot stomping cheer. [added November 20, 2021]
The content of this post is presented for cultural and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post isn't meant to be a complete compilation of every version of this verse.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
As is the case with most pancocojams posts on English language children's rhymes, this post helps to document the large amount of variation that is found in the texts (words) of those rhymes. In contrast, the tunes of most English language children's rhymes are usually very fixed. The tempos of specific rhymes are also fixed, although going faster for each iteration is a feature of some of these rhymes.
I've found the "See that house up on the hill" verse mostly near the end of examples of recreational rhymes in the "I Met My Boyfriend At The Candy Store ("Last Night And The Night Before/ I Met My Boyfriend At The Candy Store" rhymes families. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/bill-cosby-show-hand-clap-segment-i-met.html for information, comments, and various examples of that rhyme.
"I Met My Boyfriend At The Candy Store" rhymes are often combined with "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/contemporary-united-states-examples-of.html for a 2018 pancocojams post entitled "Contemporary United States Examples Of & Comments About "I Like Coffee" Children's Rhymes That Include Racial References"
In addition to "I Like Coffee I Like Tea"and "I Met My Boyfriend At The Candy Store, other stand alone rhymes which I found online that include the "see that house up on the hill" verse are (given in no particular order) "Take a peach take a plum take a piece of bubblegum". "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky", "Tweeleelee" ("Rockin Robin")*, and "Down Down Baby".
-snip-
I believe that "take a peach (also given as "piece"), take a plum" etc. and several other beginning lines such as "inna inna thumbalina" in these rhymes found below are introductory lines instead of the actual title of the rhyme.
My position is that the "see that house up on the hill" verse and the other rhymes sampled here were probably originally composed by African Americans. However, I also believe that people of other races/ethnicities chant these rhymes and have made up different versions of these rhymes.
****
EXAMPLES OF THE VERSE "SEE THAT HOUSE UP ON THE HILL"
Notice that this verse is usually found near the end of certain playground (usually partner hand clap) rhymes which are composed by combining verse from certain other playground rhymes.
I believe that "take a peach (also given as "piece"), take a plum" etc. and several other beginning lines such as "inna inna thumbalina", "twee lee lee" in these rhymes found below are introductory lines instead of the actual title of the rhyme.
These examples aren't given in any particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. I've used italics for the "see that house up on the hill" verse to highlight it.
"Zing, Zing, Zing,
and ah 1-2-3.
I like coffee, I like tea.
I like a black boy and he likes me.
So step back, white boy, you don't shine.
I'll get the black boy to beat your behind.
Last night and the night before.
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream he bought me cake.
He brought me home with a belly ache.
Mama, mama, I feel sick
Call the doctor, quick, quick, quick
Doctor, doctor, will I die?
Close your eyes and count to five
1-2-3-4-5
I'm Alive!
See that house up on the hill.
That's where me and my baby live.
Eat a piece of meat
Eat a piece of bread.
Come on baby. let's go to bed"
-Kayla, (African American girl, age 5; recited for Alafia Children's Ensemble, Fort Pitt Elementary School chapter, (Garfield neighborhood, Pittsburgh, PA), 2000; collected by Azizi Powell, 2000
-snip-
I collected this example during an after school program that I founded and co-led with my daughter Tazi, who was a teacher at that school. In Pittsburgh, girls ages 5-12 years old attended that program whose main purpose was to teach older African American singing games. Boys & girls ages 5-12 years of age attended another Alafia [ah-LAH-fee-ah] chapter in Braddock, Pennsylvania (about 1/2 an hour from Pittsburgh). However, most of the boys chose to participate in the beginning djembe (African drum) classes which were a part of Braddock's chapter but weren't offered at the Pittsburgh chapter. The Braddock chapter of Alafia was held from around 1999 to 2004 and the Pittsburgh chapter was held from around 2000 to 2005.
Both of these groups provided lots of opportunities to collect children's recreational rhymes and cheers, particularly during a segment of the group that I called "Show & Tell". With regard to Kayla's recitation of the example given above, I recall most of the group "saying" all the verses given above, but ending with the words "I'm Alive". Kayla was embarrassed when she realized that she was the only one who was reciting the "See that house up on the hill". A number of the other children giggled about the "come on baby, let's go to bed" line, and I recall saying something like "That's okay. They were married". Later, I asked Kayla how she had learned that "See that house up on the hill" verse, and she said her mother taught it to her.
During my other direct rhyme collecting activities in various (mostly Black) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhoods (from 1999-2007), I only came across one other rhyme example with the "see that house upon on the hill" verse - in the Northview Height neighborhood- which is quite far away from Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood. Interestingly enough, that example was almost the same as "Kayla's" example and it was also recited by a five year old African American girl with the same reactions. That girl also said she learned that version from her mother. Unfortunately, I didn't note that girl's name and the year that I heard that example. However, both of these examples lead me to believe that the "see that house up on the hill" was composed before the 2000s.
**
2.
"I like coffee I like tea I like the color boy and he like me so step back white boy you don't shine I'll get the color border beat your behind said last night the night before I met my boyfriend at the candy store he bought me ice cream he bought me cake he brought me home with a belly ache I said Mama Mama I feel sick call the doctors quick quick quick doctor doctor should I die close your eyes and count to five I said A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 I'm alive you see that house on top of the hill that's where me and my baby going to live so scoop the ice cream Cut the Cake come on baby let's celebrate"
-William sisters, May 2018; [comment in discussion thread for] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAFL7Po4DME "I like coffee I like tea" published by Lene w, Sep 5, 2012
**
3.
"Inna Lina Thumbelina Two times Thumbelina Iriatchee Liriatchee I love you Take a piece Take a plum Not a piece of bubblegum I like coffe I like tea I like a Black/White boy And he likes me So step back White/Black boy You dont shine IGotta a Black/White boy To kick your behind See that house on top of that hill Thats where me and my baby gnna leave We gnna chop some wood Eat some meat Come on Babt let's go to sleep
-GUEST,17yr old kid at heart:), 20 Jul 10, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 Children's Street Songs
-snip-
This example was written in all caps. I rewrote it in some lower case letters to conform to the rest of this post. The capitolizations that I retained are for names and what I believe is the beginning letter for each line of that rhyme.
My guess is that White/Black and Black/White meant that some chanters said "I like a Black boy" [if they were Black] and then said "so step back White boy". Or if the chanters were White, they said "I like a White boy" and "step back Black boy".
**
4.
"I'm young but in New Orleans 1990s-2000s I always heard:
Oh gosh he's crazy, oh gosh he's crazy
Take a piece take a plum take a piece of bubblegum
No piece no plum, no piece of bubblegum
I like coffee, I like tea
I like the colored and he likes me.
So smack that white boy, he don't shine.
(it could be step back white boy, I think I heard both)
I'll throw him round the corner and i'll beat his behind
Last night and the night before.
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream he bought me cake.
He brought me home with a stomach ache.
I said Mama, mama, I feel sick
Call the doctor, quick, quick, quick
Doctor, doctor, if I die
I'll close my eyes and count to five
I said 1-2-3-4-5
I'm Alive!
See that house on top of that hill.
That's where me and my boyfriend live.
Cook that chicken
Burn that rice
Come on baby let's shoot some DICE!"
-~TAugust 25, 2013; [comment from] http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html
**
5.
"i like coffee i like tea
i like the colered boy and he likes me
so step back white boy you dont shine
i like the colored boy and he is mine
last night abd the night before
he took me to the candy store
he bought me ice cream
he bought me cake
he brought me home with my belly ache
mama mama i feel sick call the doctor quick quick quick
doctor doctor will i die
close your eyes and count to five
1-2-3-4-5
i'm alive
you see that house on top of that hill
that is were me and my baby going to live
cook the chicken and cook the ribs
THATS RIGHT BABY NO CALLEN DIBS
Anonymous; September 30, 2013; [comment from] http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html
-snip-
Here's a definition of "dibs" for those who may not be familiar with the word:
From https://www.yourdictionary.com/dibs
"dibs
SLANG
a claim to a share of, or rights in, something wanted: I've got first dibs on that candy bar."
-snip-
A person who has something to eat (usually a snack) doesn't want to share any of, he or she would say "No calling* dibs!" before anyone else would say "Dibs!
-snip-"
In the example of that rhyme "Calling" is given as "callen".
-snip-
In my childhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey (1950s), instead of saying "Dibs"/"No Dibs", I remember saying "Hunksies" and "No hunksies" for the same purposes.
**
6.
"Hello! I was singing this song and I wanted to learn where exactly it came from and I didn't know that it had so much history! I grew up in Detroit and was born in the year 2000 and the version I grew up with seem to have some mixtures of the examples you provided. The version I grew up with:
I like coffee, I like tea
I like the colored boy and he likes me.
So step back white boy you don't shine,
Cause I'll get the colored boy to beat yo behind.
Last night, and the night before
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream he bought me cake,
He brought me home with a belly-ache.
I said "Mama, Mama I feel sick
Call the doctor quick,quick,quick."
Doctor Doctor shall I die?
Just close your eyes and count to 5.
I said a 1-2-3-4-5, I'm alive.
See that house n top of that hill?
That's where me and my baby gonna live.
Scoop the ice cream cut the cake,
Come on baby let's celebrate!
And sometimes, there'll be a weird ending at the end (which to me doesn't seem to match the flow of the rhyme) that goes:
That's not all, that's not all
My baby drinking alcohol."
-Anonymous, January 26, 2019 at 5:36 PM; [comment from] http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html
**
7.
"Down by the bank
Said a hanky pank
Said a bull frog jumped from bank to bank
Said E-I-O-U
Feeling with the ding dong
See that house on top of the hill
That's where me and my boyfriend live,
Smell that chicken, smell that rice,
Come on baby, let's shoot, some, dice"
-snip-
I'm sorry. I deleted the contributor's name/citation/ and date for this example.
**
8.
Hello sisterfriends,
I hope you guys don't mind me commenting on this topic. I have a few that I would like to add. Do you remember
Four people in the circle and you pick who is going up top or on the bottom first.
Tweet lele, tweet lele...
Rocking in the tree top all day long huffing and puffing and a singing that song
See that house on top of that hill, that's where me and my boyfriend live, Chasing the chickenss, chasing the bread, come on boy let's go to bed.
-ridiculous2000 (Montgomery, Alabama, USA), 12-30-2000, http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=3
-snip-
Bloggers in that discussion thread were members of historically Black Greek letter sororities. My guess from various comments is that these women were remembering childhood rhymes from the late 1980s or early 1990s.
**
9.
..."Sunni and John together perform the following long narrative which is a hand clap and rope song. This one reflects the dominant racial theme of the time as well as taboo topics like pre–marital sex.
I like ice cream
I like cake
I like a colored boy
And he don't fake
So step back white boy
You don't shine
I'll get another colored boy
to beat yo' behind
Last night,
the night before
I met my boyfriend at the candy store
He bought me ice cream
He bought me cake
He sent me home with a stomach ache
Mommie, Mommie, I feel sick
Call the doctor, quick, quick, quick
Doctor, Doctor, before I die
Close my eyes one to five
I said a one, a two, a three, a four, a five
See that house
On top of that hill
That's where me and my boyfriend live
Cookin' that chicken and cookin' that rice
Come on baby, let's shoot some dice!
—Sunni Maria Fitch, age 6, with John Anthony Fitch, 4
New Orleans, 1987; [collected by Mona Lisa Saloy] in http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/creole_art_african_am_oral.html "African American Oral Traditions in Louisiana" By Mona Lisa Saloy
-snip-
..."This article first appeared in the 1990 Louisiana Folklife Festival booklet. Mona Lisa Saloy is a poet and currently Assistant Professor of English and director of Creative Writing at Dillard University in New Orleans" [no publishing date]
10.
"This is another one that has a few remixes, but what can you expect when the song has hanky panky in the title?
"down by the river from hank to pank (??),
where the bulls fall down from bank to bank
say e, i ,o, u, filling(?? lol) with the ding-dong
see that house on top of the hill, that's where me and my boyfriend live,
smell that chicken, smell that rice,
c'mon baby, let's shoot some dice"
We know good and dang well we weren't old enough for shooting dice or boyfriends.
- Ashleigh Atwell; June 2018; from https://blavity.com/my-mama-short-and-fine-11-black-hand-games-and-rhymes-from-childhood-we-had-no-business-reciting
"'My Mama Short And Fine': 11 Black Hand Games And Rhymes From Childhood We Had No Business Reciting
Dang, we were fresh. SMH."
-snip-
"SMH" = [figuratively] "shake my head" [in exasperation, dismay etc]
**
11.
..."Then there's one me and my friends made up:
"This thing goes, Down down, baby. Down down the roller coaster. Sweet sweet, baby. I'll never let you go. If you wanna kiss me, just say you love me. Shimmy-shimmy cocoa puff, shimmy-shimmy ride. Shimmy-shimmy cocoa puff, shimmy-shimmy ride. I like ice cream. I like tea. I like a boyfriend, he likes me! So step back **white boy** you ain't shy. I bet'cha five dollars I can beat'cha behind. Said last night, the night before. I met my boyfriend at the candy store. He bought me ice cream, he bought me cake; he brought me home with a belly ache. I said 'Mamma, mamma! I'm so sick! Call the docter--QUICK QUICK QUICK! Docter, Docter, shall I die?' 'Just close your eyes and count to five.' Said, 'One, two, three, four, five. I'M ALIVE!' 'See that house up on the hill? That's where me and my boyfriend live. So cut the ice cream, cut the cake, come on, baby, let's celebrate!' Said, '1, 2, 3, 4, I'm a alive on channel 5, Scooby-doo on Channel 2, Frakenstein on Channel 9, and a big fat lady on Channel 80 and all the rest on PBS( or CBS)"
-snip-
FudgeSundae22, 01/16/12; http://www.inthe00s.com/archive/inthe80s/smf/1109960765.shtml "Those clapping songs"
[WARNING: Some examples on that page include profanity and sexually explicit references.]
****
12.
I like coffee,
I like tea,
I like the colored boy and he likes me,
So step back white boy you don't shine,
I'll get the colored boy to beat yo behind,
Last night, the night before,
I met my boyfriend at the candy store,
He bought me ice cream, he bought me cake,
He brought me home with a stomach ache,
Mama, mama, I feel sick,
Call the dictor quiick, quick, quick!
Doctor, doctor will I die?
Close your eyes and count to five,
1,2,3,4,5
See that house on top of the hill,
That's where me and my boyfriend live,
Take some chicken, fry the bread,
Come on baby let's get in the bed,
Come on baby let's do it again ahhh.
-
****
13.
mama mama I’m so sick
call the doctor ,quick quick, doctor doctor will I die . Clothes my eyes I said
a 1,2,3,4,5 I’m alive on candy of five sitting in the house on top of that hill
that’s where me and my boyfriend live . Baking that chicken and cooking that
rice come on baby let’s shoot the dice
-
**
14.
Does anyone remember
I like coffee I like tea, I like the colored boy he likes
me. So step back white boy you don’t shine, I’ll get the colored boy to beat yo
behind! Last night, the night before, I met my boyfriend at the candy store. He
bought me icecream, he bought me cake, he brought me home with a belly ache! I
said Mama mama I feel sick call the doctor quick quick quick! Doctor doctor
shall I die? Close your eyes and count to 5! 12345, I’m alive! See that house
on top of that hill, that’s where me and my baby gone live. So cut the icecream
and scoop the cake, come on baby let’s celebrate! ❤️
-
**
15.
I know the one she was singing mama mama I feel sick call
Dr. quick quick quick that Dr. dr. shall I die he said close your eyes, and
Count to five eyes I said 12345 I’m alive see that house on top of the hill
that’s where me and my baby gone live serve the
ice cream, cut the cake come on baby let’s celebrate. 😂
I dont remember the start of it"
--
**
16.
down
by the banks and hanky panky yo granma say yo booty stanky say eeps ips oops
ops listen to the boys cry see that house on top of the hill thats were me my
boyfriend live smell like chicken smell like rice come on girls lets
shoot_some_dice pick a number or a letter no ones no twos no trees no a b c's
(pick a number or a letter lets just say i chooce 7) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7! (
whoevers hand gets hit on the chosen number/letter is ELIMINATED
-GUEST,LALA:):):):), 09
Jun 07, https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/01/examples-of-see-that-house-up-on-that.html. Origins:
Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
**
17.
Down by the river of the hanky panky
where the bull frog jumped from bank to bank
saying eeps ipps opps uups
your mother stinks and so do you
see that house on top of that hill?
thats where me and my boyfriend lives
smell that chicken, smell that rice
c'mon girls lets do it right
i cant
why not?
i cant
why not?
cuz my back aches, my bra's too tight, my booty shakin left
to right
left, right,
left, right,
this is skinny, this is fat, REAL fat
c'mon girls lets shoot some dap
ooh
shoo walla walla ooh
sha bang bang ooh
shoo walla walla
pick-a-number...
1..2...3...etc.
-GUEST,guess
who, 23
Oct 06,https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94034 , Origins:
Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky
****
ADDENDUM
Here's an example of "see that house on top of the hill" in a foot stomping cheer:
STEP STEP TAKE A STEP
Step, Step, Take a Step
You got it
Come on
Again
Break it down now
Krissy is my name
Uno is my game
Blue is my color so don't worry bout my lover
Take a sniff of my potion
Rub it down like lotion
(Ooo she think she bad)
Correction baby I know I'm bad
(Ooo she think she cool)
Cool enough to steal yo dude
(Ooo she think she fine)
Fine enough to blow his mind
(Ooo she think she hip)
Hip hip potato chip, mess with me I'll bust yo lip
Girl, girl stop yo lying, least my man don't leave me crying
See that house on top of that hill? That's where me and my
baby gon' lip
- http://thechocolatetease.blogspot.com/2013/03/childhood-rhymes.html
, March 11, 2013
-snip-
The blog hostess (who
identified herself in the comments as "Cookie") shares several rhymes and writes that these are
"childhood rhymes I used to play on the West side of Detroit while I grew
up :)". The blog's title ("chocolate tease") and the photo of a
Black girl on the blog document that the blog's host is an African
American woman.
"See
that house on top of that hill" etc. is a floater verse in several African
American girls' hand clap rhymes. The word "lip" at the end of this cheer is probably a typo for the word "live".
This cheer appears to me to be a version of the "Hula Hula" foot stomping cheer. . The lines (Ooo she think she bad)"are signature lines from "Hula" Hula" cheers.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list_6.html for additional examples of "Hula Hula"
****
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