Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - January 27, 2024
This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series on the African American originated custom of chanting an introductory word, phrase, or lines that are chanted before the actual beginning of certain hand clap rhymes.
This post presents an overview of this African American originated custom of chanting an introductory word, phrase, or lines before the actual beginning of certain hand clap rhymes.
This post also includes a partial lists of these introductory word, phrases, and lines along with a few text (word only) examples of this sub-set of children's hand clap rhymes.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/01/six-videos-of-african-american.html for Part II of this pancocojams series showcases some YouTube videos of hand clap rhymes that include an introductory word, phrase, or lines before the actual beginning of those rhymes.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/01/hyperlinks-for-some-pancocojams-posts.html for Part III of this pancocojams series presents hyperlinks to some pancocojams posts that showcase information, videos, and text examples of hand clap rhymes that include an introductory word, phrase, or lines before the actual beginning of those rhymes.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who contributed rhyme examples that are included in this post.
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OVERVIEW - THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CUSTOM OF CHANTING AN INTRODUCTORY WORD, PHRASE, OR LINES IN HAND CLAP RHYMES BEFORE THE ACTUAL BEGINNING OF THAT RHYME
by Azizi Powell, January 27, 2024
Additions, corrections, and observations about this subject are very welcome.
**
A small sub-set of African American originated children's recreational rhymes begin with certain a certain word or certain phrases or certain non-rhyming or rhyming lines.
These introductory features serve the same purposes as saying "Ready, set, go!" in races, i.e. They alert chanters that the rhyme is getting ready to begin and prepare the chanters to get "on beat. The words "Hit it!" which are said with some introductory features means the same thing as the word "Go!" in "Ready Set Go" (Get ready. Get set. Go!"
Over time, these introductory features have often been used as the name (title) for the specific rhymes that they are re most
often associated with. For example, "Shame" or "Shame Shame Shame" is usually associated with the rhyme "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico". However, using these words and lines as the names of rhymes can be confusing because they may be used as introductory features for more than one specific hand clap rhyme, i.e. "Shame Shame Shame" is also used as the name (title) of "I Am A First Grader" rhymes.(Read the partial list that is
given below.)
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The hand clapping pattern/routine that begins at the end of the introductory feature continues without pausing throughout the rest of any iteration of that rhyme. For example, In the hand clap rhyme "Twee lee lee", the four people who chant that rhyme hold the hands of the person they are facing and swing their arms in to the rhythm of those introductory words before they being chanting the actual rhyme and doing the hand clap pattern of that rhyme.
I use the term "actual rhyme" because I don't consider "introductory features" to be the first verse of those hand clap rhymes. For example, here's a portion of the rhyme "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico" which is widely known among African American children and teens as "Shame Shame Shame":
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Children don't place a high value on the meaning of the words in hand clap rhymes. They are much more concerned with getting the words and the movements right and sometimes also increasing their speed while they are chanting and performing those hand clapping routines and perhaps also other movements. However, its possible to extrapolate (suss out) some reasons for the use of the words in hand clap rhymes' introductory features and some meanings for those words.
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Some introductory phrases don't make any sense now because they are folk processed forms of earlier introductory phrases. "Tweet tweet tweet" is that the earliest form of the introductory phrases "zing zing zing" and "swing swing swing". . The words "tweet tweet tweet" are sung in the "Rockin Robin" records where they represent the sound that the dancing ("rockin') robin makes.
Here are my guesses about the history and meaning of these introductory features:
The saying "zing zing zing like a washing machine (or "zing zing zing and a washing machine") refer to old fashioned wringer washing machines that made loud noises.
"Swing swing swing" may have been a folk processed form of "zing zing zing" or vice versa.
"Swing swing swing on the tree top" refers back to the "Rockin Robin" lyrics when the robin is dancing in the tree top (i.e. on a branch that's at the top of a tree.)
"Swing swing swing on a summer day" refers to the actual children's play ground activity of sitting in a swing at the playground or in your backyard.
"C.c c" is a folk processed form of the word "sea". The saying "sea sea sea at the bottom of the sea" inverts the (probably) earlier reference to "on the tree top".
The word "wooble" in the line "Wooble wooble wooble and the deep blue sea" comes from the use of the movement term "Wiggle and "wooble", meaning do some quick dance like side to side/ up and down shaking movements. In hand clap introductory lines the word "wooble in the deep blue sea" can mean "wading into the water and moving like a duck".
The introductory word phrase "Shame" and the repeated word "Shame Shame Shame" probably evolved as an attempt by children to help the "I Don't Want To Go To Mexico" rhymes make sense. "Shame: means "You ought to be ashamed" (because of what just happened or because of what you did).
At least two introductory lines are lifted from the popular song "ABC" by the Jackson 5. (ABC Hit it!" and "123 Hit it!.
**
I consider the beginning lines "ABC/It's easy as 123", "ABC/It's easy as do re mi", "ABC/My mama takes care of me" (and other such beginning lines) to be the first verse of those rhymes that are now often called "ABC hand games". These lines may have started out as introductory features, but I don't believe they meet the definition of introductory features now because their hand clapping routine is the same as the rest of those rhymes.
For that same reason, I don't believe that the lines "That's the way un hun un hun/ I like it" are introductory features in the hand clap rhymes that are known by the title "That's The Way I Like it " because it appears from the YouTube videos that I've watched that the hand clapping pattern for those words is the same as the hand clapping pattern for the rest of the rhyme.
A PARTIAL LIST OF INTRODUCTORY WORD, PHRASES, AND VERSES
I've come across other introductory word, phrases, and verses, but these are the ones that appear to me to be the most commonly used in African American (originated) hand clap rhymes.
NUMBERS
"1, 2, 3,
HIT IT!" -associated with "That's The Way" hand clap rhymes
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A, B
"ABC Hit It!" - associated with "ABC hand clap rhymes"; These rhymes begin with those introductory words and include a combination of rhymes such as "Ooh Aah I Wanna Piece Of Pie", "Bang Bang Choo Choo Train", "Brick Wall Water Fall" and usually other lines from additional rhymes.
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C, D
"c c c to the bottom of the c Hey Hey!" - Read the entry for "Swing Swing Swing"
-snip-
The words "Hey Hey" may not be added to the rest of these words.
E, F -Q, R
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S, T
“Sea, sea, sea the bottom of the sea" - most often associated with "I Am A Little First Grader" rhymes (or other titles that give the chanter's grade in school such as "I Am A Little Third Grader".
**
"Shake shake shake to the bottom of the lake." -associated with "Twee lee lee" ("Rockin Robin" rhymes)
**
"Shame!" -most often associated with "I Don't
Want To Go To Mexico" rhymes (and its variant place versions such as
"I Don't Want To Go To College" and "I Don't Want To Go To
Hollywood").
**
"Shame, Shame, Shame" -most often associated with
"I Don't Want To Go To Mexico" rhymes and its variant place versions
such as "I Don't Want To Go To College" and "I Don't Want To Go
To Hollywood")
Some African American originated hand clap rhymes that begin with the word "Shame" or the word "Shame Shame Shame" may sometimes also end with the word "Shame!". Those rhymes may also end with the words "Shame on you", or they may end wih words "Shut the door!.
**
"Shame Shame Shame" -associated with
"That's The Way I Like It" rhymes
**
"Swing Swing Swing" -most often associated with
"I Am A Little First Grader" rhymes (or other titles that give the
chanter's grade in school such as "I Am A Little Third Grader").
"Swing Swing Swing Hit It " is also sometimes associated with "Tweeleelee" [Rockin Robin] rhymes)
**
"Swing Swing Swing On A Summer Day"-most often
associated with "Tweeleelee" ("Rockin Robin") rhymes
These words may also be associated with "I Am A Little First Grader' rhymes
**
"Swing swing swing to the USA, Hey hey" -associated with "Tweeleelee" ("Rockin Robin") rhymes)
**
"Swing Swing Swing to the bottom of the sea" -most
often associated with "I Am A Little First Grader" rhymes (or other
titles that give the chanter's grade in school such as "I Am A Little
Third Grader".)
**
"Twee lee lee" - only associated with the hand clap game "Tweeleelee" ("Rockin Robin")
**
"Twee lee lee
Tree top!
Twee lee lee
My prop.
Popsicle, popsicle
Your breathe stinks!" (or "your butt stinks" or "your mama
stinks") - only associated with
"Tweeleelee" ("Rockin Robin") rhymes
-snip-
"Prop" is an African American Vernacular English word that comes from the word "proper" and is used as a shortened form of the words "proper respect" ("respect that is owed a person for being themselves or for something that they have said or done".)
The words "popsicle, popsicle/ your breathe stinks" probably mean "Your breathe sinks so eat a popsicle [so that your breathe will smell better]. The "Your butt stinks" and "Your mama stinks" are later forms of "Your breathe stinks".
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U, V
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W, X
Wooble Wooble Wooble and the deep blue sea" - only associated with "I Am A Little First Grader" rhymes (and other rhymes that substitute the chanter's grade [year] in school.)
****
Y, Z
**
"Zing, Zing, Zing and ah washing machine
Popsicle Popsicle your butt stinks" (or "your mama
stinks') - only associated with "Twee lee lee ("Rockin Robin")
**
"Zing Zing Zing like a washing machine"
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A FEW RHYME EXAMPLES OF THIS CUSTOM
No titles are included for these examples. These examples begin with the first line that is chanted or a comment about the rhyme that the contributor wrote. .
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only
1..
"Zing, Zing, Zing like a washing machine.
You're gonna rock to the treetops all day long
Huffen and a puffen and a singing a song.
All the little birdies on Jay Bird Street
Love to hear the robin go Tweet, Tweet, Tweet.
Chorus: Rockin' Robin, tweet tweet, tweetl-eet.
Rockin Robin, tweet tweet, tweetl-eet.
Submitter comment: Sung while playing a clapping game.
Where learned: Detroit, Michigan
Date learned: 00-00-1987"
-https://libraries.udmercy.edu/archives/special-collections/cfa/index.php?field=boggsNum&term=C750.522&start=50 The James T.Calloway Computerized Folklore Archive, University of Detroit
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2.
"Shame Shame Shame.
I don’t want to go to Mexico
no more, more, more.
There’s a big fat policeman
at door, door, door.
He’ll grab you by the collar
and make you pay a dollar.
I don’t want to go to Mexico
no more, more, more.
Shame.
-African American girls and boys from various Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhoods, collected by Azizi Powell, 1998
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3.
"The way me and my sister and cousins do “Swing, swing, swing” goes like this:
Sea, sea, sea the bottom of the sea. I am a little first
grader, pretty as can be be. All the boys from around my block go crazy over me
me. My boyfriends name is Rello. He lives in Alabama, with 25 tokens and a big
fat nose and this is how my story goes. One day I was walking, I saw my
boyfriend talking to the ugliest girl in the whole wide world and this is
what I said to her: see my pinky, see my thumb, see my fist, you better run.
Hold on, wait, come back. You need a Tic Tac. Not one, not two, but the whole
six pack. Sorry to be mean but you need some listerine. Not a sip, not a cup,
not a sip, not a cup, but the whole dang bottle peace!”
-exposed,2021,
4.
"For shame shame shame me and my sisters learned
C c c I don't wanna go to college any
More more more
There's a big fat policeman at my
Door door door
He pulled my by the collar
He made me pay a dollar
See what I mean you big jellybean
Wash yo face with gasoline
Went to the lake and swallowed a snake
Came back home with a bellyache
I said mama mama call the doctor
Doctor doctor will I die
Count to three and you'll be alive
I said one two three
Now im alive
5.
"for swing swing swing our school did this
c,c,c at the bottom of the c
im a little (whatever grade or age) pretty as can be be
and all the boys around my blox are fightin over me me
my boyfriends name is CHRIS BROWN!
He lives in alabama with 25 toes and a big fat nose and this
is how my story goes
see my pinky see my thumb see my fist you better run hold up
wait come back you needa tic tac not one not two but the whole six pack
not ya mama not ya daddy but ya bald headed granny she wish
she wish she wish she had hair like this
Lauren, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEcsIfe6lU&t=2s
6.
thats the way uhhuh uhuh i like it
uhhuh uhhuh (X2)
brickwalll waterfall
girl u think u kno it alll.
u dont i do
so boom witcho attiitude
so boom withcho attitude.
wait come back
i think u need a tic tack.
not 1 not 2
but the whole 6 pack.
sorry to be mean
but u need somme listerene
not a sip not a swollow
but the whole dang bottlle."
then we see who yells shame on u 1st @ the end of it."
-paris porter, , 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br9fAi7HdDk
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7.
Winston tastes good just like a cigarette should
Just like an - ooh, ah, I want a piece of pie
Pie too sweet, I want a piece of meat
Meat too brown, I want to go to town
Town too far, I'll have to take a car
Car too black, I want my money back
Money too green, I want a limosine
..... I want some lemonade
Lemonade too sour, by now we have the power
To close our eyes and count to ten
Whoever messes up has to do it again.
And at this point, the clapping pattern got more complicated and the players closed their eyes and counted to ten."
-Guest, Chocolate Pi; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926 "Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie", October 10, 2000
8.
"Winston smells good just like a coconut just like a ooh a i wanna piece of pie,pie to sweet i wanna piece of meat,meat not cooked i wanna read a book,book not read i wanna go to bed,bed not made i want some lemonade,lemonade to sour stay up for an hour,thats all i know."
****
9.
tweedle tweedle dee
treetop
tweedle tweedle dee
treetop
tweet baby tweet baby
your mama says
she rocks in a treetop
all day long
huffin and puffin
and saying a song
all the little birds
james bell street
love the little robins
go tweet tweet tweet
rockin robin
tweet tweet tweet
rockin robin
tweet tweet tweet
i went down town to get a stick of butter
and saw james brown sitting (people cursed on my block) in the gutter
i took a piece of glass and stuck it up his (you know what)
i never saw a (kids are mean) run so fast.
we even played that in college.
hmmm...those hand games were violent and had curses in them, huh?
holla at me if you remember
-MaMaBuddha; Harlem, New York, New York}; 7/31/2000],
http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/archive/index.php/t-5627.html
****
10.
"1, 2, 3,
HIT IT!
that's the way
uh huh uh huh
i like it
uh huh uh huh
that's the way
uh huh uh huh
i like it
uh huh uh huh
peace. punch
captain crunch.
brick wall. waterfall.
girl you think you know it all?
you don't! i do!
so poof with the attitude.
loser loser with a twist
elbow elbow wrist wrist.
wipe a tear. blow a kiss.
kiss this.
hunnie u aint got none of this."
-k to the c, http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php/, 6/20/2006 [This website is no longer active]
11.
Hit it!
Thats the way uh huh uh huh
i like it uh huh uh huh
Thats the way uh huh uh huh
i like it uh huh uh huh
peace puch captain crunch
break a wall waterfalls,girl you think you know it all
you dont i do so, poof with the attitude
wait, come back, you need a tic tac
not a tic not a tac but the whole six pack
yo mamma, yo daddy, your bald headed granny
she 99 she thinks shes fine,
she going out with frankenstein
go granny go go, go granny wooooo"
-stariewitch; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgtAELLndA&feature=related ; April 26, 2008
12.
"Wooble Wooble Wooble and the deep blue sea
I am a little __ * first grade
as pretty as can __ be be.
And all the boys around my house
go crazy over __ me me.
My boyfriend's name is __ Yellow.
He comes from Ala__bama
with 25 toes
and a pickle on his nose
and this is how the story goes.
One day I was ah __ walkin
I saw my boyfriend __ talking
to a very pretty girl
with strawberry curls.
And this is what she said
"I L-O-V-E __ love you."
"I K-I-S-S __ kiss you."
"I A-D-O-R-E __ adore you"
So S-T-O-P. STOP!"
- two African American and one Vietnamese elementary school age girls {6 years old} Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2000
-snip-
*The dash indicates that you pause for a beat before saying the next word or the next syllable.
****
13.
A.B.C.
Hit it!
Thats the way uh huh uh huh
i like it uh huh uh huh
Thats the way uh huh uh huh
i like it uh huh uh huh
peace puch captain crunch
break a wall waterfalls,girl you think you know it all
you dont i do so, poof with the attitude
wait, come back, you need a tic tac
not a tic not a tac but the whole six pack
yo mamma, yo daddy, your bald headed granny
she 99 she thinks shes fine,
she going out with frankenstein
go granny go go, go granny wooooo
-stariewitch; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgtAELLndA&feature=related ; April 26, 2008.
****
14.
"Shame, Shame, Shame.
Hit it!
That’s the way, un hun un hun
I like it, un hun un hun.
That’s the way, un hun un hun
I like it, un hun un hun.
Rain fall waterfall
Girl, you think you know it all
you don’t I do.
So POOF with that attitude.
Welcome to McDonalds
May I take your order.
See my pinkie.
See my thumb.
See my fist.
You BETTA run."
-Elizabeth Brooks,
-snip-
This is the version of this rhyme that is chanted by two young African American girls in that video.
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"It goes shame shame shame hit it that's the way uh huh uh huh I like it uh huh uh huhx2 splish splash waterfall girl u think u know it all u dont I do so boo with yo attitude wait come back u need a tick tack not one not two but the whole six pack see my pinky see my thumb see my fist u better run peanutbuutter recee cup u mess with me ill jack u up!thats how my school says it,butt theres many different versions."
-Alexa 29, 2014; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br9fAi7HdDk
****
16.
ABC hit it
that's the way uh huh uh huh
I like it uh huh uh huh
that's the way uh huh uh huh
I like it uh huh uh huh.
You got the moves,
I got the grooves
so peace punch cap'n crunch.
Break the wall a water fall
girl you think you got it all,you don't. I do.
So poof with your attitude
your mother,your daddy,your bald headed granny.
She's 99 she's online,
she's going out with Frankenstein.
Go granny,go go go granny woo!
-Hannah; 10/29/2008, cocojams.com [Cocojams was the name of my cultural website that was online from January 2001 to November 2014.
This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series.
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