Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides excerpts from online discussion threads and articles about one Nigerian and two South African children's counting out or choosing it rhymes.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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TUMBUM TUMBUM
These comments were written on the YouTube discussion thread for Nigerian Afropop (Afrobeats) singer Yemi Alade's hit song "Tumbum" in response to questions about the meaning of the word "tumbum". I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr6DKUylvCk
1. "It's something kids sing to make random picks when asked to make a choice or during a game."...
-Eva Odum (2016)
**
2. "yes, it is something like this "tumbum tumbum base lembe sisi alaba kpom. alaba laba kai kai sisi bum bum" ( or tom tom, no idea what we said there, lol). you say that while going from one thing to the other. whichever your finger land on when the saying ends, that's the one you pick.
-abbyaou1 (2016)
**
3. ..."Tumbum Tumbum is game we played as kids growing up. When we had to choose usually tumbum tumbum is the way out. Usually the outcome decision is final."
-Anthony Kakie (2016)
**
4. ..."Tumbum tubum, is an Igbo word meaning 'this or that'....
- Joseph Eke (2016)
**
5. ..."Tumbum, Tumbum".... its game of random choice Igbo kids play at the village square when they are in a dilemma and they have to make a choice between two similar options."
-THE VICTOR (2016)
**
Reply
6. superAweber
"Ah, so it's the same as "eenie meenie minie moe, catch a goblin by his toe, if he squeals let him go, eenie meenie minie moe"."
**
Reply
7. Nonhlanhla Mkwanazi
"Absolutely"
**
8. THE VICTOR
"superAweber yes..100% correct."
****
PIKA PIKA MABALENE
The only direct online reference that I've found thus far to the South African [Zulu ?] counting out rhyme "Pika Pika Mabalane" is this comment from the discussion thread for Yemi Alade's Afropop (Afrobeats) song "Tumbum" [link given above]
.
"lol, we have a similar nonesensical game in south africa. It goes: "Piki piki mabelane, sala sala gentel mane, abili bock abili bili bock, ince ince ince...". Carries on after that but I can't really remember the whole thing :D"
-Nonhlanhla Mkwanazi (2016)
****
A YOUTUBE SONG THAT INCLUDES THE PHRASE "PIKI PIKI MABALANE"
PIKI PIKI MABELANE
Realjoeman Maxy, Published on May 10, 2013
-snip-
This YouTube example features a man singing the lead and children singing the responses. The example begins with a photo collage and switches to a sound file. Here's a comment from this example's discussion thread:
Xolela Theme (2015)
"it brings back my childhood memories..wow i love this song"
**
Here's a link to a very brief (.22) South African Hip Hop YouTube clip entitled "Piki Piki Mabelane"
by Babywyn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg0GxwFBJxg.
The summary for this 2015 video indicates that "Babywyn is an artist that hails from the Republic of South Africa,The beautiful queens in the video are called Mat Models which emanate from the beautiful Botswana."
-snip-
The link for the full video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1OYpqvlUd4.
The title for the full video is shortened to "Mabalane". Given the meaning of the phrase "piki piki mabalane" my guess is that the subject of this Hip Hop track is about which beautiful women the rapper will choose. song about which beautiful women he should choose
****
OLKE BOLKE
Excerpt from https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=af&u=http://www.mieliestronk.com/uuu_uittelrympies.html&prev=search
Uittelrympies
Olke bolke, êrie tjêrie tjorts! [Afrikaans to English translation, retrieved on November 10, 2017]
"In a lot of languages and different communities one will find it: the rhymes that children rhythmically call children during their group games. Then the recipient will show in his or her group with each successive strongly stressed word or syllable in the rhymes with the index finger or otherwise to another child in his or her group.
One after the other child is "counted" on the row and this usually happens in the round. The child who turns out when the very last word or brabbelword is said in the rhyme is then "out" or "rotten" or
whatever.
But with an outline rhyme, a business between just two people can also be added instead of a coin throw.
[...]
One of the best-known title rhymes in children in African-speaking communities is "Olke bolke", although it is almost impossible to read Afrikaans:
Olke bolie riebiekie stolke (or: Olke bolke Riebeeck stolke)
Olke bolke knor (of: Olke bolke knol)
Ir very cheeky chick
Yeah, yeah!
Where does this brawl rhyme come from? Could it be that Bolke contributed the bear and his sister, Olke characters in a Dutch children's book series, designed by AD Hildebrand in 1935, to the origin of this outreach rhyme? It may be, but how could one ever determine? In any case, one would tend to think that the "Olke Bolke" rhyme should be much older than that."...
**
I learned about the phrase "olke bolke" from this response to the yahoo.com question about "Traditional South African games and activities for kids?"
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060712051212AAaPfwY
response posted by #3 [screen name] ( 2007)
"Do you remember "wolf, wolf, hoe laat is dit?!" ?
Its like playing jagertjie with a group of children, one in the group plays the wolf, then the others sing and ask : wolf wolf, what is the time? then the wolf can say 8o'clock....then the children can repeat the question over and over until the wolf say: "Etens tyd!" and chases every one and the child to be caught for "lunch" is the next one to play the wolf. very exciting cause you never now when the wolf decides to go hunting!
[...]
It could also be nice to use something like "Olke bolke....." to place the kids into teams if the game you play has teams. How about a sport like jukskei..that very South-African"...
****
Another example of "olke bolke" is found at the end of this online article about South African children's games:
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=af&u=https://www.lekkeslaap.co.za/lekkeslaap-blog/die-top-15-kinderspeletjies-kan-jy-elkeen-onthou&prev=search
[translated from Afrikaans to English
"The top 15 kids games! Can you remember everybody?
by Annemie Lombard on 17 February 2015"
[...]
"Olke bolie riebiekie stolke, olke bolke knor. Ir very cheeky cheeky cheery, cheeky cheers ..."
****
Please add to this compilation of African counting out or choosing it rhymes or share your memories of these examples.
Don't forget to add demographic information such as when you chanted these rhymes or heard them chanted (for instance, 1980s, 1990s), where you heard these rhymes (which country), and which language the rhyme is in. Thanks!
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Children's rhymes and games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children's rhymes and games. Show all posts
Friday, November 10, 2017
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Double Dutch, Irish, Double Irish, Chinese Jump Rope, And Other National Names Used As References For Jumping Games
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about the use of national names as references for ways of playing jumping games.
This post is divided into two sections. Section A presents selected online quotes about "Double Dutch" and other national name referents for the game or sport in which people jump in the middle of two ropes.
Section B presents selected online quotes about the use of national names to describe the jumping game that is most commonly known in the United States as "Chinese jump rope", but is known as "Elastics" and "Yogi" in some other nations.
A few comments in Section B don't contain any "national name", but provide additional information, opinions, and/or memories about this jumping game.
The Addendum to this post showcases two YouTube videos of what is commonly known in the United States as "Double-Dutch" and three YouTube videos of what is commonly known in the United States as "Chinese jump rope".
****
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in those videos and thanks to the publishers of those videos on YouTube.
-snip-
DISCLAIMER: This post isn't meant to be a comprehensive compilation of national names for these jumping games. Nor is this post meant to be a comprehensive listing of all the geographical areas that use certain national referents for these games.
****
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Double Dutch (jump rope) and jump roping rope in general, particularly as those activities relate to African American females.
Click the tags below to find other posts in this series.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
In both sections of this posts these excerpts from online hyperlinked sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Multiple quotes from two Mudcat folk music forum discussion threads are given with dates and in the relative chronological order that they are found in those sources. Other comments from those discussions include geographical locations where certain national referents were/are [?] used.
Section A, Excerpt #1
From https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4rYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=double+irish+jump+rope&source=bl&ots=VkZjl2hZph&sig=puhMuBKf4BxchX5XjZid-H6PevA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO1tG_y8XVAhWDz4MKHefyAfsQ6AEIXjAN#v=onepage&q=double%20irish%20jump%20rope&f=false "Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner
[page 3]
"The Negro in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia in which I lived and collected from 1958-1960 not only jumped rope extensively, but developed such coordination in doing so that many of their games were considerably more complex than those observable in most places elsewhere....The most common method of [jump rope] play is "single jumping", the rope being turned by two "enders" in a single strand...
This, however, is the least common method of playing in the neighborhood. The 'double dutch' games in which the 'enders' double the ropes and turn the two strands separately and alternately overhand, are much more common. In this game a rhythm is created that is twice as fast but not as insistent as in "singles".
[page 4]
The most common rime used with this game, especially by the younger children (5-8) is the simple counting one:
2,4,6-8, 10
2,4,6-8, 20
2,4,6-8, 30
etc.
(The 6-8 are said much quicker than any other number.)
or
D.I.S.H. choice
(With the "s" and the "h" said much faster than other letters.)
"Double-dutch" and its companion "double-Irish" call for an even more complicated rhythmic effect, paralleled by complications in motor responses....
[...]
[page 5]
"In the game with two “enders”, there are three standard ways of turning the ropes, “single”, double Dutch”, “Irish or “double Irish” (the same as double-dutch only underhanded and much more difficult). The most common types are the counting games...
[...]
[Page 8]
D. I.S. H. Choice
This is a jump that allows you to pick which way you want the rope turned. “D” stand for “Double Dutch”, “I” for “Irish”, “S” for single turn, “H” for “hop”, and “choice” is for any of the previous four.
The one you miss on is the one you must do.
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
H O P, hop
1, 2, 3"
-snip-
A portion of page five of this chapter is quoted in Section B Excerpt #1 of this post.
****
Section A, Excerpt #2
From https://books.google.com/books?id=hbLYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA196&lpg=PA196&dq=ome+Jump+Rope+Rimes+From+South+Philadelphia&source=bl&ots=QUbJvlaP9b&sig=H27ZITELUV_n8blFctvGrBZHDzw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwimzdeZzcfVAhUE8IMKHfR6BAYQ6AEITDAG#v=onepage&q=ome%20Jump%20Rope%20Rimes%20From%20South%20Philadelphia&f=false "An Annotated Collection of Children's Lore: Part III of Oral Tradition Among Children Of Central New York State" by David Winslow in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Fall Issue 1966
[page 111]
"Jump Rope Rhymes
Some of the jump rope argot used in the United States follows
[...]
[page 152]
"DOUBLE ROPE OR DOUBLES - Two ropes are used, one end of each in each turner's hand. They can be turned either towards or away from each other. Sometimes called DOUBLE DUTCH.
[...]
[page 153]
"The inventiveness of children is illustrated in the recent improvisations on jump-rope games: the games have gone international. Irish takes practice. Jumpers must hop backwards as two ropes are turned counter-clockwise. In French, one rope drops to the sidewalk and the jumper hops three times over the moving second rope. Then she must do the splits, all without touching the ground rope. Jewish jump rope requires that the jumper hold one rope while the other is twisted and turned over her head making the jump rope area smaller and smaller with each turn. Finally, the space is so small that she has to crouch down and jump. Hungarian is done on one foot. The enders loop a long rope around their waists then swing in one direction with the right rope, and the opposite direction with the left. In Chinese the ropes give way to stretchy, tied together rubber bands. Trash cans can serve as enders. The idea is complicated but girls know upon which number to jump with each foot, or both feet, when to carry one rubber band across the line to another, and when to make a diamond pattern with them".
-snip-
This chapter includes a great number of jump rope rhymes and information about and examples of other children's recreational play.
****
Section A, Excerpt #3
From https://books.google.com/books?id=lI5ERUmHf3YC&pg=PT5841&lpg=PT5841&dq=double+jewish+jump+rope&source=bl&ots=Ou-9lH1DHz&sig=ovO0Vln79tDX_k1c1y-QfpOlFa4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwl_nIx8XVAhWI5IMKHfROAtEQ6AEIPjAE#v=onepage&q=double%20jewish%20jump%20rope&f=false "The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition, editors Kenneth T. Jackson, Lisa Keller, Nancy Flood (Yale University Press, Dec 1, 2010) [book review by Amanda Durgan, Steven Zeitlin
..."The largest collection of games and rhymes were amassed in the 1930s and 1940s by Esther and Oscar Hirschman, who wrote under the names Ethel and Oliver Hale, They recorded many versions of such activities as ball games, hopscotch, and jump rope (not only double Dutch but double Irish, double Jewish, French Dutch, and French Fried), in addition to documenting favorite rhymes and pranks. Titled “From Sidewalk, Gutter, and Stoop”, their 1000 page manuscript was acquired by the New York Public Library. About this time, the term pushmobile became popular for a kind of scooter fashioned from a roller skate and an orange crate. By the turn of the twenty-first century street games were seen less frequently in the city owing to television, video games, an a commercialized toy industry, those that have persisted continue to evolve as the urban environment changes."
****
Section A, Excerpt #4
From https://books.google.com/books?id=2A93c_JS6sQC&pg=PA298&lpg=PA298&dq=criminal+minded+jump+rope+rhyme&source=bl&ots=Klgdfj6QdY&sig=BjAQUAL7o7Gdy4RIMa7sWKGU0lY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrlovwv8HVAhVC_IMKHXNkBqUQ6AEIOTAD#v=onepage&q=criminal%20minded%20jump%20rope%20rhyme&f=false “Double Forces Has Got The Beat: Reclaiming Girl’s Music In The Sport of Double- Dutch" by Kyra D. Gaunt in The Girls' History and Culture Reader: The Twentieth Century, edited by Miriam Forman-Brunell and Leslie Paris (University of Illinois Press, January 2011)
[page 283]
"Double-Dutch, Double-Jewish, Double-Black; Children Performing Difference
Despite its presence in the South, double-dutch’s origins seem to be based in the multiethnic streets of New York City. It was also prevalent in several other cities, including Philadelphia, New Haven, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., among others.
The origin of its name alone highlights its curious association with ethnicity in New York City that does not seem to be limited to African American culture. Many of its associations are defined by stereotypical views of immigrants and their language as “foreign” or “alien”. According to ethnographers Amanda Dargan and Steven Zeitlin, the successive waves of immigrants in New York heightened concerns about ethnicity and American-ness, ant the alienation of new immigrants was often apparent in the form of ridicule of the sounds of “foreign” languages. Children, as well as adults, passed on such prejudices and attitudes about non-English speech and community. “Girls jumped in an American style but called it “double Dutch” or “double Jewish”....Prejudice insinuated itself into the games of the smallest children”.
[page 284]
Racial/ethnic prejudice is at the heart of the matter, whether one is castigating Jewish, Irish, or African-American children. Contrary to the racial insinuations of outsiders, double-dutch play among black girls created an arena where race and gender identity moved from the periphery to the center, sometimes embracing and reinterpreting the very epithets that others used to signify inferiority of their race and sex.
Double-dutch is an unusual name for a girls’ game and is probably impossible to determine where the African American girls or Jewish girls who performed this practice in neighborhoods throughout New York City got the idea of the practice itself. It may stem from colloquial meanings already present in the metropolitan migrant communities.
References to the elliptical use of the adjective “Dutch” in the OED Online (2005) suggest three, arguably, but likely sources 1) double Dutch, a language that one doesn’t understand; “gibberish”, dating back to a translation of Moliere in 1876; 2). “to beat the Dutch” (“to do something extraordinary or startling”), and 3) “that beats the Dutch”, “that beats everything”), all of which could apply to the everyday practice generally attributed to African American culture.
From my reading of the OED Online, the term does not appear to have any direct connection to the adverbial phrase “going Dutch” or to the use of the noun, “the old Dutch” to refer colloquially to “a wife”, though the gendered connotations may be of interest here. It is most likely attributably to the three definitions above, for the game of double-dutch lies beyond the realm of verbal language of explanation. Many observers identify it as something extraordinary in sight that looks impossible to achieve, even magical. It is, I believe, a game that beats all other games girls of any ethnicity play, hands down."...
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
I found it interesting that when Kyra D. Gaunt shared theories about the origin of the term "double dutch", she didn't mention the statement that appears to be the "go to" reason for this name by the founders of the American Double Dutch League (formerly the National Double Dutch League) and many others: that "The Dutch settlers brought the game to the Hudson River trading town of New Amsterdam (now New York City). When the English arrived and saw the children playing their game, they called it Double Dutch."...[quoting http://www.nationaldoubledutchleague.com/History.htm, the history webpage that honors David Walker, one of the founders of the sport of Double Dutch.]
I wonder if there was a tradition in the Netherlands (and/or in Germany*) of jumping with two ropes- before this recreational game was known in the United States. (And, if so, did they chant rhymes when they jumped?). Also, did Dutch (and/or German*) immigrants to New York City jump with two ropes and chant rhymes when they did so?
-snip-
*I asked about Germans because of this information:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Dutch
"The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch,..) are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The word "Dutch" does not refer to the Dutch people (Nederlanders) or their descendants, but to German people whose ethnonym in their own language is Deitsch (in dialectal German) or Deutsch (in standard German). Most emigrated to the U.S. from Germany or Switzerland in the 17th and 18th century. Over time, the various dialects spoken by these immigrants fused into a unique dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania "Dutch". At one time, more than one-third of Pennsylvania's population spoke this language."...
****
Section B, Excerpt #1
From https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4rYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=double+irish+jump+rope&source=bl&ots=VkZjl2hZph&sig=puhMuBKf4BxchX5XjZid-H6PevA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO1tG_y8XVAhWDz4MKHefyAfsQ6AEIXjAN#v=onepage&q=double%20irish%20jump%20rope&f=false "Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner
[page 5]
"Another sort of game much like jumping rope found its way into the neighborhood [of South Philadelphia] some time in 1959. This was another game of agility played by girls called "Indian Jumping". Thick rubber bands were tied to each other in about an eight or ten foot circle, and two "enders" put their legs inside the circle and pulled it so that there were two parallel lines of bands. The jumper then did a series of foot movements while saying any of the jump-rope rhymes, especially the ones that called for actions. The foot was placed between the parallel strands, and then put out, under the first strand and over the second (this was possible because of the great pliancy of the long row of bands.) This action was alternated until missed, as in jumping-rope.
The two games, jumping-rope and "Indian jumping" require a great deal of agility, and the Negro children in this neighborhood had more than their share of this facility, and took great delight in demonstrating it."...
-snip-
This chapter continues with text for a number of rhymes that Roger Abrahams observed and collected from these children.
****
Section B, Excerpt #2
From
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=35850
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
1.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 12:28 AM
"Yes, the Opies have a lot to say about the subject, and I think it's worth quoting in entirety. My wife Christina says she called it "Chinese Jumprope" when she was growing up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island - and she claims to have been very good at it.
-Joe Offer-
ELASTIC SKIPPING
This is not skipping in the usual sense, for there is no turning rope to jump. Instead, the two enders stand with feet apart inside a loop of elastic, which passes round their ankles and is thus stretched into a long oblong frame between them. The role of the enders is completely static, and their place can be taken by dustbins or chairs...
In the summer of 1960 elastic skipping arrived in England as 'an entirely new game', and was for eighteen months, apparently, the exclusive possession of London children. 'This year's craze', said a 10-year-old girl in Fulham, 'is American Skipping. Karen Clark brought American Skipping over from America.'...
However, when a powerful craze comes over from the United States there is not one point of entry but many. American families coming to London undoubtedly brought the game with them; but so did American Air Force families coming to bases in England and Scotland. For instance, when 'Chinese Ropes' was the rage in Dunoon Grammar School in 1962, about fifty of the girls in the school were from the nearby American Air Force base. 'Chinese Ropes' (or 'Rope', or 'Ropies', or 'Skipping'), reflecting the American name 'Chinese Jump Rope', continued to be the term in Scotland (e.g. Jedburgh, 1972; Glasgow and Paisley, 1975).
Elastic skipping spread rapidly in 1963-4. There could scarcely have been a junior school playground in Britain where it was not known. 'French Skipping' was now the most usual name in England and Wales, though Londoners remained faithful to 'American Skipping'. (Any foreign name was felt to be appropriate, however: e.g. 'Dutch Skipping' in Liss, 1964; and 'German Skipping' in Bedford, 1966.) By the mid-197os the predominant name was simply 'Elastics', and the game is still, in the 1990s, known by that name.
Correspondents followed the game's progress with excitement: a teacher in St Helier, Jersey, said: 'Linda, who sent you "American Skipping" in November [1963] tells me she learnt the game in Hampstead "a few years back"; a parish priest in Workington wrote 'Chinese, or French, skipping went round Workington like wild fire this Easter [1964], and I know that it had hit Liverpool and Preston before last Christmas.'...
The game reached other countries too. It arrived in Israel in 1960 ('Gummi', Eifermann (1968), 218-20). In Australia it had certainly arrived by 1962, when Ian Turner saw it in Canberra; 'It was called "American Hoppy",' he said, 'then I saw it no more until 1967 lfl Melbourne, when it was called "Elastics".' Subsequently it was reported in Afghanistan, Austria, the Argentine, Germany, Greece, India, Italy ('Elastici'), Kenya, the Netherlands (1962, when it was called 'the English Twist' or 'the Russian Twist'), Norway ('Hoppe strikk', i.e. 'Jump Elastics'), Turkey, and Yugoslavia-so it would be safe to say it had become worldwide....
From Children's Games With Things, Iona & Peter Opie, 1997 (Oxford University Press)"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_and_Peter_Opie
"Iona Archibald Opie, CBE, FBA (born 13 October 1923)[1] and Peter Mason Opie (25 November 1918 – 5 February 1982) were a married team of folklorists, who applied modern techniques to children's literature, summarized in their studies The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). They are also noted anthologists, and assembled large collections of children's literature, toys, and games."...
**
2. Subject: RE: BS: Elastics
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:20 PM
"I had never seen it in the states until the immigrants from S.E. Asia came..the girls would collect rubber bands and do it on the playground..they were quite graceful and athletic at it.. mg"
**
3.
Subject: RE: BS: Elastics
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:22 PM
"I know it was in the states long before that because Mark's sisters that I mentioned above played it as "Chinese Jump Rope" in the 50's....and this was a small town in eastern Ohio, not exactly the first place it would have popped up!"
**
4.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: alison
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 09:53 AM
"we used elastic bands and called it "German jumps"
slainte
alison"
**
5.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 13 May 05 - 11:39 PM
"My sister used to play Chinese jump rope with her friends, in Philadelphia, early 60's (she was born in 1956). I always assumed that it was no more "Chinese" than a "Chinese fire drill," but then I recently saw a movie made in China about China in the 30's (can't remember which one) and there were girls playing...Chinese jump rope. Those girls, like my sister, used rubber bands tied together. (Nobody would buy a cloth-covered something from a store when you could make the "rope" yourself, and there were so many other things to spend your fifteen cents on.) I think they cut the rubber bands before they tied them, but I wouldn't swear to that.
Aloha,
Mark"
**
6.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Sep 05 - 09:28 PM
"I'm originally from Northern Ireland and we played this game in the 1960's. We called it german jumping. I can't remember if we used rhymes or not. We used coloured elastic bands and part of the fun was knotting them together to make the elastics."
**
7.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Susan Rains
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 09:34 AM
"Hi played Elastics in South England in the late seventies which we called chinese skipping,"
**
8.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics/ball games etc
From: GUEST,Sue/South Wales
Date: 28 May 08 - 06:55 AM
"Enjoyed reading the rhymes, triggered lots of childhood memories. I remember playing french skipping in the 70's. Later reduced to " 'lastics ". Also remembered that it died out in the playground because of minor injuries and incidents. I feel that a lot of these games have died out because of health & safety issues and compensation claims being taken to a ludicrous degree! These games were important in building confidence, team work, social interaction, sharing etc and promoting physical stamina...all of which are sadly lacking with a lot of youngsters these days."
**
9.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Jane
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 11:24 PM
"I payed Chinese Jump Rope in the late 60's and early 70's in Jamaica, West Indies.
Now my 9 y/o daughter who has only been in her new elementary school one week has started a new trend showing the kids how to play.
I am trying to remember the chants but I think we used MISSISSIPPI and ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND FRANCE, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, MONKEY PANTS
ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND WALES, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, MONKEY TAILS.
Thanks for the memories!"
**
10.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 04:46 AM
"We have been trying to introduce traditional rhymes into our playground too - we called this German elastics here in Northern Ireland and we used coloured elastics which were joined together"
**
11.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics"
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 09:43 AM
"I played 'American Skippy' or 'elastics' at Osborne Park Primary school in Western Asutralia in 1960s. Also played game with sticks called fly and two balls against a wall. I stumbled across this sie while looking for two ball rhymes to teach my granddaughter. I rmember throwing blls a gainst the wall and singing; One two buckle my shoe and we'd have to touch our shoe before we caught the ball, three four close the door and make the action of closing a door etc."
Thanks for the memories.
**
12.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Rachel
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 02:49 PM
"Hi all,
This is weird, I was talking to my husband about this game this week, and he had never heard of it (NC where I now live), but I grew up in Nottingham, England, and I remember playing it in the early/mid 80's.
I remember calling it simply 'Chinese', and we used knicker elastic, and our chant was extremely boring, but it completely explained what we did;
'In, Out, In, Out, In, On, In and away!
Thanks for letting me reminisce!"
-snip-
"NC" probably refers to North Carolina, United States.
**
13.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 10 Feb 11 - 09:59 AM
"In Bristol we played 'Elastics' with the rules that Guest described 11 Sep 09 we called it French Skipping. Skipping or jumprope was as popular as anywhere else for girls but if you were invited to play French Skipping you knew that you were 'in' with the popular girls."...
**
14.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,BRidgett
Date: 09 Feb 11 - 04:07 PM
"Played this in the mid-80s in St. Louis Missouri USA. We played to the song: In Out Side Side On In Out ("out" meaning straddling the elastic). We called it Chinese Jumprope and did not have special songs, just the directions. But we had different "levels" like skinnies and eyes-shut and typewriter and diamonds. It seemed like it had been handed down as Gospel Truth when I was in 3rd grade...but many of the levels were probably made up to keep the game going!"
**
15.
From: GUEST,Emma (now in NC, USA)
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 03:31 PM
"I played this as French skipping in Cheshire UK and then in Singapore in the 70's! Have wanted to introduce my daughters to it but could never remember the order of the moves, thanks so much for the info and memories!"
****
Section B, Excerpt #3
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=35850 Subject: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
1.
Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,cleod
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 07:11 AM
"Hey, I'm Asian and yes, I did play Chinese jumprope (called Chinese garter, since that was what we used instead of rubber bands) in my grade school years... I remember pestering my mom for shoes without buckles so I could get past the tricky bits...
Chinese jumprope - in, out, step on, in out, twist, out, twist, out, diamond, out, diamond, out.
Japanese jumprope - i know we called it japanese, but i have no idea what made it so japanese...all we did was jump over a rope (going progressively higher as the game goes one...the really good players were the ones who could cartwheel over the highest part)
There was another variation called 'triangle', but i can't remember the rules anymore.
Hope this helps! cleod"
**
2.
Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Sonnet
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 09:44 AM
"Thanks for bringing back childhood memories. I loved playing Chinese Skipping! If I remember correctly, the elastic would be raised up the legs of the two people on the ends (or up the buffet legs if no-one was playing out)on completion of a full correct sequence. We also referred to the game as Lastics, probably because we played with knicker elastic rather than rubber bands.
The descriptions so far tally with how we played here in Penistone, South Yorks, in the late 60's.
Jay McS"
**
3.
Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Crowhugger
Date: 02 Jun 09 - 01:31 AM
"In Ottawa in the mid 1960s we called it "Yogi" but after reading past posts that is likely a corruption of the word "Yoki" from one of the chants. I don't recall the chants we used, just vaguely the steps if that's what they're called. We made up our own sets of steps as well as doing version everyone knew. Since my mother sewed, that's type of elastic we used, the 1/4" wide kind, as I recall. I begged her for black elastic so it wouldn't look like it came from underwear--what did I know in grade 4? She only ever provided white elastic.
What a trip down memory lane!"
**
4.
Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Patricia
Date: 03 May 07 - 01:21 PM
I remember playing the 'rubber band rope jumping" game! But the rhyme we used was different from all I have read here! We had no idea what we were saying but it went like this:
Yoki and the Kaiser, Yoki addy ay, Tamba, so-ba, Sa-du, sa-day. :Yoki in the Kaiser, Yoki allee-ah, Kick him in the so-po, Sa-du, sa-day!
I read in the book :Sally Go Round the Sun: by Edith Fowke, that this was a Korean children's game and the children of missionaries brought it back to Canada in 1939. Original words: Riojun, Kayo, Yaku navide atc.
This song was taught to commemorate victory of the Russian-Japanese war of 1905 and written by a Japanese poet (after this war the Japanese occupied Korea).
**
5.
Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 10:04 PM
"I got the Klutz book of Chinese jump rope - Klutz usually having some good stuff to work with - and they boast that they have "all the traditional games". Closer inspection of the book itself reveals that they have games traditional to two schools in San Francisco instead - coming from NYC, not one of those games is one I know to play Chinese Jump Rope with!
But if you can't remember a single thing you did with Chinese Jump Rope you won't likely mind that :)
What we did most of the time, btw, is go in, out (that's a straddle, not jumping out), in, on, in, out (out means out here), over (jump and catch the closer end of the jump rope over your feet as you do so), out (jump and release the jump rope entirely).
But then we moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island. You wouldn't think such a little move would make such a big difference, it's the same city even (and everybody here, all the grown-ups, are not only from Brooklyn but often from the same neighborhood we were!), but here the kids did regular jump rope instead of Chinese Jump Rope."
****
ADDENDUM: SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Jumpin' For Gold in Double Dutch 2009 Holiday Classic - New York Post
New York Post Published on Dec 19, 2009
Teams from all over the world compete in the 18th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic at the Apollo in Harlem. http://video.nypost.com
**
Example #2: doubledutch flash freestyle by ebene
jojodoubledutch, Published on Mar 24, 2011
presentation de l'epreuve "freestyle" en double dutch sur un plateau sportif au centre georges pompidou à paris "chatlet " avec le presentateur franco-américain de la NBA : georges eddy
-snip-
Google translate from French to English: "Presentation of the "freestyle" event in duplicate dutch on a sporting platform in the center george pompidou in paris "chatlet" with the Franco-American presenter of the NBA: georges eddy"
-snip-
I don't know when the rules for Double Dutch sports competitions changed regarding male participation and I don't know what those rules are now. However, there was a time when Double Dutch competitions were only for females, and then the rules were changed to allow for only one male in each competing Double Dutch team.
****
Example #3: Chinese Jump Rope
Loni Gee Published on Sep 16, 2010
4 girls from Guangzhou Middle School have fun just before the school song starts.
****
Example #4: Classical Chinese Jump Rope Tutorial (fun game outdoor or indoor)
Glander Chen, Published on Jul 3, 2012
Beijing styles in 1970's.
Included basic styles "The Six Step","The Seven Step", double rope freestyle and single rope freestyle variation 1,2,3.
**
Example #5: Elastics / French Skipping / Chinese / Yorkshire 1980s / playground games / keep fit
Published on Jun 14, 2013, (HD) Trying to remember our old playground games to teach to my kids. Plenty of different versions of this but these are them moves we did in Yorkshire, early 1980s. Can't remember all of them but if you went wrong you swapped with one of the kids standing in the elastic. If you completed all the moves you then moved to 'kneesies' then 'hipsies' etc.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides information about the use of national names as references for ways of playing jumping games.
This post is divided into two sections. Section A presents selected online quotes about "Double Dutch" and other national name referents for the game or sport in which people jump in the middle of two ropes.
Section B presents selected online quotes about the use of national names to describe the jumping game that is most commonly known in the United States as "Chinese jump rope", but is known as "Elastics" and "Yogi" in some other nations.
A few comments in Section B don't contain any "national name", but provide additional information, opinions, and/or memories about this jumping game.
The Addendum to this post showcases two YouTube videos of what is commonly known in the United States as "Double-Dutch" and three YouTube videos of what is commonly known in the United States as "Chinese jump rope".
****
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in those videos and thanks to the publishers of those videos on YouTube.
-snip-
DISCLAIMER: This post isn't meant to be a comprehensive compilation of national names for these jumping games. Nor is this post meant to be a comprehensive listing of all the geographical areas that use certain national referents for these games.
****
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Double Dutch (jump rope) and jump roping rope in general, particularly as those activities relate to African American females.
Click the tags below to find other posts in this series.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
In both sections of this posts these excerpts from online hyperlinked sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Multiple quotes from two Mudcat folk music forum discussion threads are given with dates and in the relative chronological order that they are found in those sources. Other comments from those discussions include geographical locations where certain national referents were/are [?] used.
Section A, Excerpt #1
From https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4rYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=double+irish+jump+rope&source=bl&ots=VkZjl2hZph&sig=puhMuBKf4BxchX5XjZid-H6PevA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO1tG_y8XVAhWDz4MKHefyAfsQ6AEIXjAN#v=onepage&q=double%20irish%20jump%20rope&f=false "Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner
[page 3]
"The Negro in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia in which I lived and collected from 1958-1960 not only jumped rope extensively, but developed such coordination in doing so that many of their games were considerably more complex than those observable in most places elsewhere....The most common method of [jump rope] play is "single jumping", the rope being turned by two "enders" in a single strand...
This, however, is the least common method of playing in the neighborhood. The 'double dutch' games in which the 'enders' double the ropes and turn the two strands separately and alternately overhand, are much more common. In this game a rhythm is created that is twice as fast but not as insistent as in "singles".
[page 4]
The most common rime used with this game, especially by the younger children (5-8) is the simple counting one:
2,4,6-8, 10
2,4,6-8, 20
2,4,6-8, 30
etc.
(The 6-8 are said much quicker than any other number.)
or
D.I.S.H. choice
(With the "s" and the "h" said much faster than other letters.)
"Double-dutch" and its companion "double-Irish" call for an even more complicated rhythmic effect, paralleled by complications in motor responses....
[...]
[page 5]
"In the game with two “enders”, there are three standard ways of turning the ropes, “single”, double Dutch”, “Irish or “double Irish” (the same as double-dutch only underhanded and much more difficult). The most common types are the counting games...
[...]
[Page 8]
D. I.S. H. Choice
This is a jump that allows you to pick which way you want the rope turned. “D” stand for “Double Dutch”, “I” for “Irish”, “S” for single turn, “H” for “hop”, and “choice” is for any of the previous four.
The one you miss on is the one you must do.
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
D.I. S. H choice
H O P, hop
1, 2, 3"
-snip-
A portion of page five of this chapter is quoted in Section B Excerpt #1 of this post.
****
Section A, Excerpt #2
From https://books.google.com/books?id=hbLYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA196&lpg=PA196&dq=ome+Jump+Rope+Rimes+From+South+Philadelphia&source=bl&ots=QUbJvlaP9b&sig=H27ZITELUV_n8blFctvGrBZHDzw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwimzdeZzcfVAhUE8IMKHfR6BAYQ6AEITDAG#v=onepage&q=ome%20Jump%20Rope%20Rimes%20From%20South%20Philadelphia&f=false "An Annotated Collection of Children's Lore: Part III of Oral Tradition Among Children Of Central New York State" by David Winslow in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Fall Issue 1966
[page 111]
"Jump Rope Rhymes
Some of the jump rope argot used in the United States follows
[...]
[page 152]
"DOUBLE ROPE OR DOUBLES - Two ropes are used, one end of each in each turner's hand. They can be turned either towards or away from each other. Sometimes called DOUBLE DUTCH.
[...]
[page 153]
"The inventiveness of children is illustrated in the recent improvisations on jump-rope games: the games have gone international. Irish takes practice. Jumpers must hop backwards as two ropes are turned counter-clockwise. In French, one rope drops to the sidewalk and the jumper hops three times over the moving second rope. Then she must do the splits, all without touching the ground rope. Jewish jump rope requires that the jumper hold one rope while the other is twisted and turned over her head making the jump rope area smaller and smaller with each turn. Finally, the space is so small that she has to crouch down and jump. Hungarian is done on one foot. The enders loop a long rope around their waists then swing in one direction with the right rope, and the opposite direction with the left. In Chinese the ropes give way to stretchy, tied together rubber bands. Trash cans can serve as enders. The idea is complicated but girls know upon which number to jump with each foot, or both feet, when to carry one rubber band across the line to another, and when to make a diamond pattern with them".
-snip-
This chapter includes a great number of jump rope rhymes and information about and examples of other children's recreational play.
****
Section A, Excerpt #3
From https://books.google.com/books?id=lI5ERUmHf3YC&pg=PT5841&lpg=PT5841&dq=double+jewish+jump+rope&source=bl&ots=Ou-9lH1DHz&sig=ovO0Vln79tDX_k1c1y-QfpOlFa4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwl_nIx8XVAhWI5IMKHfROAtEQ6AEIPjAE#v=onepage&q=double%20jewish%20jump%20rope&f=false "The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition, editors Kenneth T. Jackson, Lisa Keller, Nancy Flood (Yale University Press, Dec 1, 2010) [book review by Amanda Durgan, Steven Zeitlin
..."The largest collection of games and rhymes were amassed in the 1930s and 1940s by Esther and Oscar Hirschman, who wrote under the names Ethel and Oliver Hale, They recorded many versions of such activities as ball games, hopscotch, and jump rope (not only double Dutch but double Irish, double Jewish, French Dutch, and French Fried), in addition to documenting favorite rhymes and pranks. Titled “From Sidewalk, Gutter, and Stoop”, their 1000 page manuscript was acquired by the New York Public Library. About this time, the term pushmobile became popular for a kind of scooter fashioned from a roller skate and an orange crate. By the turn of the twenty-first century street games were seen less frequently in the city owing to television, video games, an a commercialized toy industry, those that have persisted continue to evolve as the urban environment changes."
****
Section A, Excerpt #4
From https://books.google.com/books?id=2A93c_JS6sQC&pg=PA298&lpg=PA298&dq=criminal+minded+jump+rope+rhyme&source=bl&ots=Klgdfj6QdY&sig=BjAQUAL7o7Gdy4RIMa7sWKGU0lY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrlovwv8HVAhVC_IMKHXNkBqUQ6AEIOTAD#v=onepage&q=criminal%20minded%20jump%20rope%20rhyme&f=false “Double Forces Has Got The Beat: Reclaiming Girl’s Music In The Sport of Double- Dutch" by Kyra D. Gaunt in The Girls' History and Culture Reader: The Twentieth Century, edited by Miriam Forman-Brunell and Leslie Paris (University of Illinois Press, January 2011)
[page 283]
"Double-Dutch, Double-Jewish, Double-Black; Children Performing Difference
Despite its presence in the South, double-dutch’s origins seem to be based in the multiethnic streets of New York City. It was also prevalent in several other cities, including Philadelphia, New Haven, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., among others.
The origin of its name alone highlights its curious association with ethnicity in New York City that does not seem to be limited to African American culture. Many of its associations are defined by stereotypical views of immigrants and their language as “foreign” or “alien”. According to ethnographers Amanda Dargan and Steven Zeitlin, the successive waves of immigrants in New York heightened concerns about ethnicity and American-ness, ant the alienation of new immigrants was often apparent in the form of ridicule of the sounds of “foreign” languages. Children, as well as adults, passed on such prejudices and attitudes about non-English speech and community. “Girls jumped in an American style but called it “double Dutch” or “double Jewish”....Prejudice insinuated itself into the games of the smallest children”.
[page 284]
Racial/ethnic prejudice is at the heart of the matter, whether one is castigating Jewish, Irish, or African-American children. Contrary to the racial insinuations of outsiders, double-dutch play among black girls created an arena where race and gender identity moved from the periphery to the center, sometimes embracing and reinterpreting the very epithets that others used to signify inferiority of their race and sex.
Double-dutch is an unusual name for a girls’ game and is probably impossible to determine where the African American girls or Jewish girls who performed this practice in neighborhoods throughout New York City got the idea of the practice itself. It may stem from colloquial meanings already present in the metropolitan migrant communities.
References to the elliptical use of the adjective “Dutch” in the OED Online (2005) suggest three, arguably, but likely sources 1) double Dutch, a language that one doesn’t understand; “gibberish”, dating back to a translation of Moliere in 1876; 2). “to beat the Dutch” (“to do something extraordinary or startling”), and 3) “that beats the Dutch”, “that beats everything”), all of which could apply to the everyday practice generally attributed to African American culture.
From my reading of the OED Online, the term does not appear to have any direct connection to the adverbial phrase “going Dutch” or to the use of the noun, “the old Dutch” to refer colloquially to “a wife”, though the gendered connotations may be of interest here. It is most likely attributably to the three definitions above, for the game of double-dutch lies beyond the realm of verbal language of explanation. Many observers identify it as something extraordinary in sight that looks impossible to achieve, even magical. It is, I believe, a game that beats all other games girls of any ethnicity play, hands down."...
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
I found it interesting that when Kyra D. Gaunt shared theories about the origin of the term "double dutch", she didn't mention the statement that appears to be the "go to" reason for this name by the founders of the American Double Dutch League (formerly the National Double Dutch League) and many others: that "The Dutch settlers brought the game to the Hudson River trading town of New Amsterdam (now New York City). When the English arrived and saw the children playing their game, they called it Double Dutch."...[quoting http://www.nationaldoubledutchleague.com/History.htm, the history webpage that honors David Walker, one of the founders of the sport of Double Dutch.]
I wonder if there was a tradition in the Netherlands (and/or in Germany*) of jumping with two ropes- before this recreational game was known in the United States. (And, if so, did they chant rhymes when they jumped?). Also, did Dutch (and/or German*) immigrants to New York City jump with two ropes and chant rhymes when they did so?
-snip-
*I asked about Germans because of this information:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Dutch
"The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch,..) are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The word "Dutch" does not refer to the Dutch people (Nederlanders) or their descendants, but to German people whose ethnonym in their own language is Deitsch (in dialectal German) or Deutsch (in standard German). Most emigrated to the U.S. from Germany or Switzerland in the 17th and 18th century. Over time, the various dialects spoken by these immigrants fused into a unique dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania "Dutch". At one time, more than one-third of Pennsylvania's population spoke this language."...
****
Section B, Excerpt #1
From https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4rYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=double+irish+jump+rope&source=bl&ots=VkZjl2hZph&sig=puhMuBKf4BxchX5XjZid-H6PevA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiO1tG_y8XVAhWDz4MKHefyAfsQ6AEIXjAN#v=onepage&q=double%20irish%20jump%20rope&f=false "Some Jump Rope Rimes From South Philadelphia" by Roger D. Abrahams in Keystone Folklore Quarterly, Volume 8, Spring Issue 1963, edited by Simon Bronner
[page 5]
"Another sort of game much like jumping rope found its way into the neighborhood [of South Philadelphia] some time in 1959. This was another game of agility played by girls called "Indian Jumping". Thick rubber bands were tied to each other in about an eight or ten foot circle, and two "enders" put their legs inside the circle and pulled it so that there were two parallel lines of bands. The jumper then did a series of foot movements while saying any of the jump-rope rhymes, especially the ones that called for actions. The foot was placed between the parallel strands, and then put out, under the first strand and over the second (this was possible because of the great pliancy of the long row of bands.) This action was alternated until missed, as in jumping-rope.
The two games, jumping-rope and "Indian jumping" require a great deal of agility, and the Negro children in this neighborhood had more than their share of this facility, and took great delight in demonstrating it."...
-snip-
This chapter continues with text for a number of rhymes that Roger Abrahams observed and collected from these children.
****
Section B, Excerpt #2
From
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=35850
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
1.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 12:28 AM
"Yes, the Opies have a lot to say about the subject, and I think it's worth quoting in entirety. My wife Christina says she called it "Chinese Jumprope" when she was growing up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island - and she claims to have been very good at it.
-Joe Offer-
ELASTIC SKIPPING
This is not skipping in the usual sense, for there is no turning rope to jump. Instead, the two enders stand with feet apart inside a loop of elastic, which passes round their ankles and is thus stretched into a long oblong frame between them. The role of the enders is completely static, and their place can be taken by dustbins or chairs...
In the summer of 1960 elastic skipping arrived in England as 'an entirely new game', and was for eighteen months, apparently, the exclusive possession of London children. 'This year's craze', said a 10-year-old girl in Fulham, 'is American Skipping. Karen Clark brought American Skipping over from America.'...
However, when a powerful craze comes over from the United States there is not one point of entry but many. American families coming to London undoubtedly brought the game with them; but so did American Air Force families coming to bases in England and Scotland. For instance, when 'Chinese Ropes' was the rage in Dunoon Grammar School in 1962, about fifty of the girls in the school were from the nearby American Air Force base. 'Chinese Ropes' (or 'Rope', or 'Ropies', or 'Skipping'), reflecting the American name 'Chinese Jump Rope', continued to be the term in Scotland (e.g. Jedburgh, 1972; Glasgow and Paisley, 1975).
Elastic skipping spread rapidly in 1963-4. There could scarcely have been a junior school playground in Britain where it was not known. 'French Skipping' was now the most usual name in England and Wales, though Londoners remained faithful to 'American Skipping'. (Any foreign name was felt to be appropriate, however: e.g. 'Dutch Skipping' in Liss, 1964; and 'German Skipping' in Bedford, 1966.) By the mid-197os the predominant name was simply 'Elastics', and the game is still, in the 1990s, known by that name.
Correspondents followed the game's progress with excitement: a teacher in St Helier, Jersey, said: 'Linda, who sent you "American Skipping" in November [1963] tells me she learnt the game in Hampstead "a few years back"; a parish priest in Workington wrote 'Chinese, or French, skipping went round Workington like wild fire this Easter [1964], and I know that it had hit Liverpool and Preston before last Christmas.'...
The game reached other countries too. It arrived in Israel in 1960 ('Gummi', Eifermann (1968), 218-20). In Australia it had certainly arrived by 1962, when Ian Turner saw it in Canberra; 'It was called "American Hoppy",' he said, 'then I saw it no more until 1967 lfl Melbourne, when it was called "Elastics".' Subsequently it was reported in Afghanistan, Austria, the Argentine, Germany, Greece, India, Italy ('Elastici'), Kenya, the Netherlands (1962, when it was called 'the English Twist' or 'the Russian Twist'), Norway ('Hoppe strikk', i.e. 'Jump Elastics'), Turkey, and Yugoslavia-so it would be safe to say it had become worldwide....
From Children's Games With Things, Iona & Peter Opie, 1997 (Oxford University Press)"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_and_Peter_Opie
"Iona Archibald Opie, CBE, FBA (born 13 October 1923)[1] and Peter Mason Opie (25 November 1918 – 5 February 1982) were a married team of folklorists, who applied modern techniques to children's literature, summarized in their studies The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). They are also noted anthologists, and assembled large collections of children's literature, toys, and games."...
**
2. Subject: RE: BS: Elastics
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:20 PM
"I had never seen it in the states until the immigrants from S.E. Asia came..the girls would collect rubber bands and do it on the playground..they were quite graceful and athletic at it.. mg"
**
3.
Subject: RE: BS: Elastics
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:22 PM
"I know it was in the states long before that because Mark's sisters that I mentioned above played it as "Chinese Jump Rope" in the 50's....and this was a small town in eastern Ohio, not exactly the first place it would have popped up!"
**
4.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: alison
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 09:53 AM
"we used elastic bands and called it "German jumps"
slainte
alison"
**
5.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 13 May 05 - 11:39 PM
"My sister used to play Chinese jump rope with her friends, in Philadelphia, early 60's (she was born in 1956). I always assumed that it was no more "Chinese" than a "Chinese fire drill," but then I recently saw a movie made in China about China in the 30's (can't remember which one) and there were girls playing...Chinese jump rope. Those girls, like my sister, used rubber bands tied together. (Nobody would buy a cloth-covered something from a store when you could make the "rope" yourself, and there were so many other things to spend your fifteen cents on.) I think they cut the rubber bands before they tied them, but I wouldn't swear to that.
Aloha,
Mark"
**
6.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Sep 05 - 09:28 PM
"I'm originally from Northern Ireland and we played this game in the 1960's. We called it german jumping. I can't remember if we used rhymes or not. We used coloured elastic bands and part of the fun was knotting them together to make the elastics."
**
7.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Susan Rains
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 09:34 AM
"Hi played Elastics in South England in the late seventies which we called chinese skipping,"
**
8.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics/ball games etc
From: GUEST,Sue/South Wales
Date: 28 May 08 - 06:55 AM
"Enjoyed reading the rhymes, triggered lots of childhood memories. I remember playing french skipping in the 70's. Later reduced to " 'lastics ". Also remembered that it died out in the playground because of minor injuries and incidents. I feel that a lot of these games have died out because of health & safety issues and compensation claims being taken to a ludicrous degree! These games were important in building confidence, team work, social interaction, sharing etc and promoting physical stamina...all of which are sadly lacking with a lot of youngsters these days."
**
9.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Jane
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 11:24 PM
"I payed Chinese Jump Rope in the late 60's and early 70's in Jamaica, West Indies.
Now my 9 y/o daughter who has only been in her new elementary school one week has started a new trend showing the kids how to play.
I am trying to remember the chants but I think we used MISSISSIPPI and ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND FRANCE, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, MONKEY PANTS
ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND WALES, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, MONKEY TAILS.
Thanks for the memories!"
**
10.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 04:46 AM
"We have been trying to introduce traditional rhymes into our playground too - we called this German elastics here in Northern Ireland and we used coloured elastics which were joined together"
**
11.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics"
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 09:43 AM
"I played 'American Skippy' or 'elastics' at Osborne Park Primary school in Western Asutralia in 1960s. Also played game with sticks called fly and two balls against a wall. I stumbled across this sie while looking for two ball rhymes to teach my granddaughter. I rmember throwing blls a gainst the wall and singing; One two buckle my shoe and we'd have to touch our shoe before we caught the ball, three four close the door and make the action of closing a door etc."
Thanks for the memories.
**
12.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Rachel
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 02:49 PM
"Hi all,
This is weird, I was talking to my husband about this game this week, and he had never heard of it (NC where I now live), but I grew up in Nottingham, England, and I remember playing it in the early/mid 80's.
I remember calling it simply 'Chinese', and we used knicker elastic, and our chant was extremely boring, but it completely explained what we did;
'In, Out, In, Out, In, On, In and away!
Thanks for letting me reminisce!"
-snip-
"NC" probably refers to North Carolina, United States.
**
13.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 10 Feb 11 - 09:59 AM
"In Bristol we played 'Elastics' with the rules that Guest described 11 Sep 09 we called it French Skipping. Skipping or jumprope was as popular as anywhere else for girls but if you were invited to play French Skipping you knew that you were 'in' with the popular girls."...
**
14.
Subject: RE: Child's Game: Elastics
From: GUEST,BRidgett
Date: 09 Feb 11 - 04:07 PM
"Played this in the mid-80s in St. Louis Missouri USA. We played to the song: In Out Side Side On In Out ("out" meaning straddling the elastic). We called it Chinese Jumprope and did not have special songs, just the directions. But we had different "levels" like skinnies and eyes-shut and typewriter and diamonds. It seemed like it had been handed down as Gospel Truth when I was in 3rd grade...but many of the levels were probably made up to keep the game going!"
**
15.
From: GUEST,Emma (now in NC, USA)
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 03:31 PM
"I played this as French skipping in Cheshire UK and then in Singapore in the 70's! Have wanted to introduce my daughters to it but could never remember the order of the moves, thanks so much for the info and memories!"
****
Section B, Excerpt #3
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=35850 Subject: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
1.
Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,cleod
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 07:11 AM
"Hey, I'm Asian and yes, I did play Chinese jumprope (called Chinese garter, since that was what we used instead of rubber bands) in my grade school years... I remember pestering my mom for shoes without buckles so I could get past the tricky bits...
Chinese jumprope - in, out, step on, in out, twist, out, twist, out, diamond, out, diamond, out.
Japanese jumprope - i know we called it japanese, but i have no idea what made it so japanese...all we did was jump over a rope (going progressively higher as the game goes one...the really good players were the ones who could cartwheel over the highest part)
There was another variation called 'triangle', but i can't remember the rules anymore.
Hope this helps! cleod"
**
2.
Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Sonnet
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 09:44 AM
"Thanks for bringing back childhood memories. I loved playing Chinese Skipping! If I remember correctly, the elastic would be raised up the legs of the two people on the ends (or up the buffet legs if no-one was playing out)on completion of a full correct sequence. We also referred to the game as Lastics, probably because we played with knicker elastic rather than rubber bands.
The descriptions so far tally with how we played here in Penistone, South Yorks, in the late 60's.
Jay McS"
**
3.
Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Crowhugger
Date: 02 Jun 09 - 01:31 AM
"In Ottawa in the mid 1960s we called it "Yogi" but after reading past posts that is likely a corruption of the word "Yoki" from one of the chants. I don't recall the chants we used, just vaguely the steps if that's what they're called. We made up our own sets of steps as well as doing version everyone knew. Since my mother sewed, that's type of elastic we used, the 1/4" wide kind, as I recall. I begged her for black elastic so it wouldn't look like it came from underwear--what did I know in grade 4? She only ever provided white elastic.
What a trip down memory lane!"
**
4.
Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Patricia
Date: 03 May 07 - 01:21 PM
I remember playing the 'rubber band rope jumping" game! But the rhyme we used was different from all I have read here! We had no idea what we were saying but it went like this:
Yoki and the Kaiser, Yoki addy ay, Tamba, so-ba, Sa-du, sa-day. :Yoki in the Kaiser, Yoki allee-ah, Kick him in the so-po, Sa-du, sa-day!
I read in the book :Sally Go Round the Sun: by Edith Fowke, that this was a Korean children's game and the children of missionaries brought it back to Canada in 1939. Original words: Riojun, Kayo, Yaku navide atc.
This song was taught to commemorate victory of the Russian-Japanese war of 1905 and written by a Japanese poet (after this war the Japanese occupied Korea).
**
5.
Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 10:04 PM
"I got the Klutz book of Chinese jump rope - Klutz usually having some good stuff to work with - and they boast that they have "all the traditional games". Closer inspection of the book itself reveals that they have games traditional to two schools in San Francisco instead - coming from NYC, not one of those games is one I know to play Chinese Jump Rope with!
But if you can't remember a single thing you did with Chinese Jump Rope you won't likely mind that :)
What we did most of the time, btw, is go in, out (that's a straddle, not jumping out), in, on, in, out (out means out here), over (jump and catch the closer end of the jump rope over your feet as you do so), out (jump and release the jump rope entirely).
But then we moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island. You wouldn't think such a little move would make such a big difference, it's the same city even (and everybody here, all the grown-ups, are not only from Brooklyn but often from the same neighborhood we were!), but here the kids did regular jump rope instead of Chinese Jump Rope."
****
ADDENDUM: SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Jumpin' For Gold in Double Dutch 2009 Holiday Classic - New York Post
New York Post Published on Dec 19, 2009
Teams from all over the world compete in the 18th Annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic at the Apollo in Harlem. http://video.nypost.com
**
Example #2: doubledutch flash freestyle by ebene
jojodoubledutch, Published on Mar 24, 2011
presentation de l'epreuve "freestyle" en double dutch sur un plateau sportif au centre georges pompidou à paris "chatlet " avec le presentateur franco-américain de la NBA : georges eddy
-snip-
Google translate from French to English: "Presentation of the "freestyle" event in duplicate dutch on a sporting platform in the center george pompidou in paris "chatlet" with the Franco-American presenter of the NBA: georges eddy"
-snip-
I don't know when the rules for Double Dutch sports competitions changed regarding male participation and I don't know what those rules are now. However, there was a time when Double Dutch competitions were only for females, and then the rules were changed to allow for only one male in each competing Double Dutch team.
****
Example #3: Chinese Jump Rope
Loni Gee Published on Sep 16, 2010
4 girls from Guangzhou Middle School have fun just before the school song starts.
****
Example #4: Classical Chinese Jump Rope Tutorial (fun game outdoor or indoor)
Glander Chen, Published on Jul 3, 2012
Beijing styles in 1970's.
Included basic styles "The Six Step","The Seven Step", double rope freestyle and single rope freestyle variation 1,2,3.
**
Example #5: Elastics / French Skipping / Chinese / Yorkshire 1980s / playground games / keep fit
Published on Jun 14, 2013, (HD) Trying to remember our old playground games to teach to my kids. Plenty of different versions of this but these are them moves we did in Yorkshire, early 1980s. Can't remember all of them but if you went wrong you swapped with one of the kids standing in the elastic. If you completed all the moves you then moved to 'kneesies' then 'hipsies' etc.
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
"Pop See Ko" Children's Movement Activity Song & Its Precursor Singing Games "Jigalow" ("Gigalo")
Debora Marines Teach Magically, Apr 27, 2015
Kindergarten having fun moving!
-snip-
This is an example of numerous YouTube videos of children in schools and in summer camps or their teachers/staff performing "Pop See Ko".
Notice that this video was published on YouTube one month after Koo Koo Kanga Roo published a video of their composition of the singing game "Pop See Ko".
****
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest update- January14, 2024
This pancocojams post presents information about and lyrics & videos of KooKoo Kanga Roo's children's game/dance song "Pop See Ko" (sometimes given as "Popsicle").
This post also includes lyrics for and videos of the much earlier American children's game "Jigalo" (also given as "Jigalow" and "Gigalo"). "Gigalo"/"Jigalo" cheers/singing games are the precursors for "Pop See Ko".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT KOO KOO KANGA ROO AND GONOODLE
"Pop See Koo" is a song/dance that is part of the Koo Koo Kanga Roo repertoire. Here's information about Koo Koo Kanga Roo:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koo_Koo_Kanga_Roo
"Koo Koo Kanga Roo is an American comedic dance-pop duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota, consisting of vocalists Bryan (Bryan Atchison) and Neil (Neil Olstad).
Billed as an "interactive dance party duo" and described as "the Beastie Boys meet Sesame Street",[1] Koo Koo Kanga Roo showcase a colorful live show which relies heavily on audience participation, featuring overtly silly sing-along songs which are typically accompanied by their own individual dance move.[2]...
Koo Koo Kanga Roo have defined themselves foremost as a live band, with their performances and audience interaction being the pure core of the group, even more so than their recorded music.[4][5] Bryan and Neil are the only members of Koo Koo Kanga Roo, and thus perform all of their songs against pre-recorded backing tracks played from their iPods over the venue's PA system.[2]...
Appearance on GoNoodle
Koo Koo Kanga Roo partners with GoNoodle, a brain break website for teachers, to produce short and fun videos that encourage kids to get up and dance in the classroom. These videos are available on GoNoodle for free."...
-snip-
I believe that Koo Koo Kango Roo teaming up with GoNoodle greatly contributed to how quickly and how widely their song "Pop See Ko" has been spread in the United States and elsewhere.
Both Koo Koo Kanga Roo "Pop See Ko" videos that I've found on YouTube are led by the middle aged White American duo known as "Koo Koo Kanga Roo". The informally dressed men are shown outside of a log cabin in the woods. In one of the videos one of the Koo Koo Kanga Roo duo wears a "fanny pack", probably for comedic effect.
These "Pop See Ko" videos often include animation and also often feature other adults (and in one video, also a group of children).
As of May 31, 2016 12:02 AM there were a total of 7,451,947 views for this Pop See Ko video which was published on YouTube on Mar 30, 2015. This is the earliest date for "Pop See Koo" that I've found thus far. [January 14, 2024 - That video has since been deleted. Another Koo Koo Kanga Roo/GoNoodles "Po See Ko" video [embedded below] that was published in July 2020 has 14,534,327 views as of January 14, 2024.
Except for the words "Pop See Ko", the words, tune, and performance activities for "Pop See Ko" are exactly the same as the "Gigalo"/"Jigalo" cheer/rhyme. A commenter wrote that she remembered "Gigalo" from the late 1970s. The earliest performance of "Gigalo" that I saw in real life was in the late 1980s (my daughter and some of her female friends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
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LYRICS FOR "POP SEE KO"
Hey ______________
Hey what?
Are you ready?
For what?
To pop
Pop what?
Pop See Ko!
My hands are high
My feet are low
And this is how I pop see ko
His hands are high
His feet are low
And this is how I pop see ko
Pop see ko
Pop-pop see ko
Pop see ko
Pop-pop see ko
from Pop See Ko, released May 7, 2015
Source: http://music.kookookangaroo.com/track/pop-see-ko
-snip-
Koo Koo Kanga Roo is credited as the composers of "Pop See Ko".
A number of commenters in "Pop See Ko" video discussion threads* mistake the words "Pop See Ko" for the English word "Popsicle". "Popsicle" is a registered brand name for a frozen fruit flavored snack. That brand name is widely used (at least in the United States) for similar frozen treats that aren't marketed by the company that owns that brand name.
*As is the case with most discussion threads for YouTube children's videos, since late 2019, discussion threads for Koo Koo Kangaroo's YouTube videos and almost all the other YouTube videos of "Pop See Ko" have been deleted.
****
COMPARISON BETWEEN "POP SEE KO" AND "JIGALOW" ("JIGALO", "GIGALO")
With the exception of the words "Pop See Ko" and the word "Pop","Pop See Ko" is an exact replica of the American game song "Jigalow" ("Jigalo", "Gigalo"). "Gigalo" begins
Hey ______________ [person's name]
Hey what?
Are you ready?
For what?
To gig
Gig what?
Gig a lo!
-snip-
The rest of the words that are given for "Pop See Koo" are the same for the remainder of the "Gigalo"/"Jigalow" song. And, just like the participants for "Pop See Koo" dance/game, each "soloist" for the Gigalo/ Jigalow game is encouraged to make up their own movement that the rest of the group then mimics.
Here's an excerpt from an earlier pancocojams post on "Gigalo" - http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/12/childrens-rhyme-gigalo-examples.html*:
"The earliest example of "Gigalo" that I've found is the example that I collected from my daughter & her friends in the mid to late 1980s (see text example #1 above). Of course, earlier examples of that cheer may exist in other persons' memories or in written form.
Given its textual structure and performance activity, I believe that the Gigalo rhyme is of African American origin. However, it's clear from reading online examples of "Gigalo" that this cheer/rhyme is also known and performed by non-African Americans (mostly girls)...
The textual structure of "Gigalo" (the way the words are structured) fits my definition for "foot stomping cheers".
Gigalo has a group/consecutive soloists structure which is the signature structure for foot stomping cheers. By "group/consecutive soloist" I mean that the group's voice is heard first, and then a soloist's voice is heard. This pattern of alternating voices continues until a soloist's slightly longer portion occurs...
At the end of that rendition of the cheer, the complete cheer immediately starts again from the beginning with a new soloist. The order of soloists is selected before the cheer activity begins. That pattern of consecutive soloists continues until everyone in the group has had one turn as the soloist.
That said, the body (including the foot movements) of people chanting "Gigalo" may not be the same as the synchronized, coordinated movements that are performed by "steppers" doing [other] foot stomping cheers."
-end of quote-
In addition to categorizing the textual structure "Gigalo" (and "Pop See Ko") as a foot stomping cheer, the movements of these songs can be considered as part of the "show me your motion" category of children's game songs. Children and other participants playing these types of (usually circle) games are encouraged to perform individualized movements that are different than those which may have preceded them. And the rest of the group is encouraged to try to exactly replicate the movements that each "soloist" does.
*That post includes multiple examples of "Gigalo" rhymes as well as examples of the United Kingdom hand clap rhymes "High Low Jack A Low" which I think may have been the inspiration for "Gigalo"/"Jigalow".
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF "POP SEE KO"
Example #1 -Koo Koo- Pop See Ko
Steve Steve, July 17, 2020
-snip-
This video replaces a Koo Koo Kanga Roo video of "Pop See Ko" that was published on YouTube in 2015.
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Example #2: Pop See Koo 3.0
Carmi Scheller, Published on Apr 28, 2015
4th Grade Version of Pop See Ko
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Example #3: Popsicle Song | The Ciera and Olivia Show
Ciera and Olivia Show Published on Jul 15, 2015
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF "JIGALO"/"GIGALO"
Example #1: Travis learned the jigalow!
caitlingilson, Uploaded on Oct 21, 2008
travis and the volleyball team (JV) get down at the camarillo tournament!
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Example #2: playing gigalo at cheer camp
bby209angl, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2010
this was my first time playing it was fun :)
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
The Alley Kats - "Puddin Tain" (Sound File & Lyrics)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics to the 1962 doo wop song "Puddin Tain" by The Alley Kats. A sound file of a cover of this song that was recorded by The Kit Kats is also featured in this post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "PUDDIN TAIN"
"Puddin Tane" is the title of particular English language children's folk rhymes that are made up of smart alecky rhyming retorts to commonly asked questions. In each version of these rhymes "Puddin Tane" (or a similarly spelled second word) serves as the response which is given by the person who is asked the question "What's your name?". In that sense, "Puddin" is a male or female nickname and "Tane" is given as a last name.
Although it appears that all of the lines of this rhyme are now usually recited by the same person, "Puddin Tane" may have originated as a call & response dialogue rhyme (a rhyme in which each line is alternately spoken by one of two people).
Here's the short version of "Puddin Tane" that I believe is most commonly found at the present time in the United States. The lines that are spoken by the person responding to the questions are given in brackets:
What's your name?
[Puddin Tane
Ask me again
And I'll tell you the same.]
-snip-
Click http://cocojams.com/content/early-examples-childrens-rhyme-puddin-tane for more information about and early examples of the folk rhyme "Puddin Tane"
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FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE ALLEY KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
Alley Cats - Puddin' N' Tain - Early Phil Spector Production - Great Doo Wop Rocker
PJDooWop,Uploaded on Sep 24, 2009
Doo wop rocker here. One of the few male groups [Phil] Spector worked with early on.
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FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE KIT KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
THE KIT KATS_Puddin'n'Tain
whitedoowopcollector, Uploaded on Feb 9, 2009
http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com
****
LYRICS- PUDDIN TAIN
(Songwriters: Brice Coefield, Gary Pipkin, Alonzo Willis)
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
You won't believe this story
While I was walking
One bright and sunny day
I met a little sweet, sweet girl
Who chanced to walk my way
I asked her, her name
Here's what she said to me
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh, golly gee
If she would only belong to me
And I would tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh well now she's so pretty
She's so fine
She's so sweet
Just my kind
All because she's pretty
All because she's fine
I want this girl to be mine
Now we're going steady
And I've found out
Her real name is Betty
I'll tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
[repeat 2 more times]
Reposted from http://www.songlyrics.com/the-alley-cats/puddin-n-tain-lyrics/
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
My thanks to those who composed and recorded the song "Puddin Tain". Thanks also to the uploaders of these featured sound files, and to the transcriber of this song.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics to the 1962 doo wop song "Puddin Tain" by The Alley Kats. A sound file of a cover of this song that was recorded by The Kit Kats is also featured in this post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "PUDDIN TAIN"
"Puddin Tane" is the title of particular English language children's folk rhymes that are made up of smart alecky rhyming retorts to commonly asked questions. In each version of these rhymes "Puddin Tane" (or a similarly spelled second word) serves as the response which is given by the person who is asked the question "What's your name?". In that sense, "Puddin" is a male or female nickname and "Tane" is given as a last name.
Although it appears that all of the lines of this rhyme are now usually recited by the same person, "Puddin Tane" may have originated as a call & response dialogue rhyme (a rhyme in which each line is alternately spoken by one of two people).
Here's the short version of "Puddin Tane" that I believe is most commonly found at the present time in the United States. The lines that are spoken by the person responding to the questions are given in brackets:
What's your name?
[Puddin Tane
Ask me again
And I'll tell you the same.]
-snip-
Click http://cocojams.com/content/early-examples-childrens-rhyme-puddin-tane for more information about and early examples of the folk rhyme "Puddin Tane"
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE ALLEY KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
Alley Cats - Puddin' N' Tain - Early Phil Spector Production - Great Doo Wop Rocker
PJDooWop,Uploaded on Sep 24, 2009
Doo wop rocker here. One of the few male groups [Phil] Spector worked with early on.
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE KIT KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
THE KIT KATS_Puddin'n'Tain
whitedoowopcollector, Uploaded on Feb 9, 2009
http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com
****
LYRICS- PUDDIN TAIN
(Songwriters: Brice Coefield, Gary Pipkin, Alonzo Willis)
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
You won't believe this story
While I was walking
One bright and sunny day
I met a little sweet, sweet girl
Who chanced to walk my way
I asked her, her name
Here's what she said to me
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh, golly gee
If she would only belong to me
And I would tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh well now she's so pretty
She's so fine
She's so sweet
Just my kind
All because she's pretty
All because she's fine
I want this girl to be mine
Now we're going steady
And I've found out
Her real name is Betty
I'll tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
[repeat 2 more times]
Reposted from http://www.songlyrics.com/the-alley-cats/puddin-n-tain-lyrics/
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
My thanks to those who composed and recorded the song "Puddin Tain". Thanks also to the uploaders of these featured sound files, and to the transcriber of this song.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Che Che Kule - Origin, Lyrics, & Videos
Edited by Azizi Powell
Revised April 18, 2026
This pancocojams post includes information, comments, YouTube examples, and text examples of the song which may be most widely known worldwide as "Che Che Kule".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the Ghanaian people for the folk song "Kye Kye Kule". Thanks to all those who are who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these YouTube sound files and videos and thanks to all those Thanks also to all those who published these examples on YouTube.
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ORIGIN & MEANINGS
"Che Che Kule" (Akan language: "Kye Kye Kule") is a traditional children's game song from Ghana, West Africa.
The Afro-Latin band Osibisa's 1972 recording "Che Che Kule" was one of the first records that popularized the Ghanaian folk song "Kye Kye Kule". Read below for more information about Osibisa. Also read below about Willie Colon's 1967 Salsa record whose chorus includes the words "che che kule".
In the United States "Che Che Kule" appears to be mostly sung while performing the imitative movements like the children's song "Head And Shoulders, Knees And Toes". A Ghanaian man who commented on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread that I started indicated that that is how he learned "Kye Kye Kule". However, a Ghanaian woman who commented on that same discussion thread wrote that she remembers it as a ring chasing game similar to "duck duck goose".*
I'm not sure how "Kye Kye Kule" was traditionally played in Ghana or how (and if) that game is played now.
*Read the Mudcat discussion forum comments given below after the showcase videos.
Both "Che Che Kule" and "Kye Kye Kule" are pronounced "Shay Shay KOO-lay".
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FEATURED VIDEOS
Unfortunately, I have not yet found any videos of Ghanaian children singing or playing any "Kye Kye Kule" games.
These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube, with the oldest example given first.
Example #1: a Salsa version of "Che Che Kule"
Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon- "Che Che Cole" and "Machito"
Posted by jnyc101 / January 23, 2007
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Example #2: Osibisa - Che Che Kule (Heads)
Uploaded by Feralbt on Sep 16, 2008
-snip-
Osibisa is a band, founded in London in the year 1969 by four African and three Caribbean musicians, who peaked in popularity in the 1970s. They were one of the first widely popular African band.
I believe that Osibisa's "Kye Kye Kule" was the record that first popularized "Che Che Kule" in the United States and in other Western nations.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osibisa for information about this Afro-Pop band. Here's a quote from that page:
"Osibisa are a British Afro-pop band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate African and three Caribbean musicians.[1] Their music is a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, funk, rock, Latin, and R&B. Osibisa were one of the first African-heritage bands to become widely popular and linked with the world music description.
"The name Osibisa was described in lyrics, album notes and interviews as meaning "criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness" but it actually comes from "osibisaba" the Fante word for highlife."
-snip-
"Highlife" is a type of music that originated in Ghana in the 1900s. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana for more information about Ghana. Also, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlife for information about "highlife".
-snip-
Fante (Fanti) is a language that is spoken by a group of the Akan people of Ghana. The Ashanti (Asante) may be the best known Akan people in the United States due to their production of colorful kinte cloth as well as their Sankofa symbol and other adinkra symbols.
****
Video #3: Shay Shay Koolay
Shay Shay Koolay
Posted by ElanaMichele, November 03, 2008
South African children performing "Kye Kye Kule".
"Thina, Noroza, and Hope lead Shay Shay Koolay in the field behind Sivuyiseni. Check out www.artworkforyouth.com."
****
Example #4: "Kye Kye Kule" performed by American children:
Kye Kye Kule - Robertson
doitmusically, Sep 24, 2009
The SK class singing a children's song from Ghana.
-snip-
Added Jun 10, 2020. This video replaces another 2009 video of American children singing Kye Kye Kule (also given as "Che Che Kule". That video is no longer available.
****
Video #5: The Ghana Bigshots - Kyekye Kule - AFH603
Afrikafestival Hertme, Published on Sep 17, 2014
Probably the best “young band” in Ghana at the moment, the Ghana Bigshots present their first album ‘Tu Na Me Nsa’ in April 2014. Originally formed in 2008, the band came to its present line-up 2 years ago, and has since then steadily improved.
****
ADDED NOVEMBER 2017
Video #6: Ghanian Song for Kids' Music Class - Kye Kye Kule.AVI
Tema Lee, Published on Oct 29, 2012
Here's a very good Ghanian activity song you can teach your preschool and kindergarten kids. This class was taught by Laura Etemah.
-snip-
The woman's last name suggests that she is from Ghana or the Ivory Coast (i.e. an Akan speaker which I believe is the population from which this song originated.)
****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE GHANAIAN FOLK SONG "KYE KYE KULE"
Here's a comment from a guest on a discussion thread that I started on "Che Che Kule":
"Subject: RE: Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 06:43 PM
Im from ghana and I have to say that Kofi is a ghana name and alot of the words in the song i can understand. I have been singing this song since I was a child. My mother knows it, my grandmother knows it and my great grand mother knows It. I recently caught the spanish verson on the radio and started singing along right away. I was very surprised someone else from another part of the world had made a song with my childhood play song. The song has been around for a least a few centuries Its not surprising that there have been different versions made."
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=108069 [Hereafter given as Mudcat "Che Che Kule"]
Editor: "Kofi" is an Akan (language/ethnic group from Ghana, West Africa and Côte d’Ivoire) personal name that means "male born on Friday". Notice the various versions of "kofi sa" that are found in the examples given below.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_namesfor information on Akan day names.
**
[UPDATE May 4, 2015]
Here are two other comments from that Mudcat discussion thread:
Subject: RE: Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Jan 08 - 10:25 AM
Here's an excerpt of the email that Quakoo [a Ghanaian man] sent to cocojams.com * about Kye Kye Kule in response to my questions to him about this song:
"I made some enquiries about this song. It is a Ga game but because of our school system which promotes ethnic fusion it has become a national thing. My dad couldn't really tell me the meaning of the words, but said that the words: "Salanga" is a name used by northerners [members of ethnic groups who live in the Northern part of Ghana] (could be Dagomba, Frafra or Gonja) so Kofi Salanga is a northern boy. And when singing the song,with the pronouncement of every sentence you touch your body in ascending and descending order. When you start "kyekye kule" (you touch your shoulders with both hands and those responding kyekye kule will do likewise, continue to your waist, knees and the toes) and this continues till you reach your toes and then you start all over again.
Kyekye kule on national t.v (called Ghana T.V or GTV) was a children's programme, and it was so popular that I never for once missed an episode. It was hosted by an old teacher. It was filled with several other Ghanaian games"...
-snip-
*Cocojams.com is my cultural website that I voluntarily closed in 2014. Quakoo later changed the spelling of his name to Kwaku on that Mudcat forum. He wrote to share that "kye" is the Akan spelling for that word, but he didn't indicate what, if anything, "kye" meant.
"Ga" is the name of an ethnic group in Ghana, West Africa. The Northern region is one of 10 regions in Ghana. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana and other websites for more information about Ghana, West Africa.
**
Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: Azizi
Date: 15 May 09 - 02:22 PM
Here is an email about "Kye Kye Kule" that I received today from a Ghanaian woman, Abena Gyebi:
"Sorry, cocoyam, You see I have always known the Ghanaian children's song Kye kye kule. The Kum adende or Kum aye dei was always part of it. I do not believe it is a later addition; I mean I'm into my fifties and I've always known it with the Kum. Maybe it's because the people you talked to were male. I guess when we as girls were playing kye kye kule they were busy playing football or so.(Or hunting rats?-:)
'Kum' apart from its Akan meaning - to kill- is also the sound made when something falls heavily on the ground,like a child falling or something dropping.
The other version of the game was,instead of running behind the circle and tapping someone on the shoulder, one bent down and dropped a piece of cloth behind one of those sitting in the circle. It was supposed to be done so artfully that the one with the piece of cloth did not notice it.The singing and clapping then got more exciting as the runner got closer and closer to where she had dropped the piece of cloth. If the sitting person still did not notice the cloth, she got a 'boo' or a smack on the shoulder for being inattentive. On the other hand, if she got alerted, she would then run as fast as possible chasing the first runner until the first runner took her place in the circle. Then she would take over the kye kye kule and look for another person behind whom she would drop the piece of cloth. This version of kye kye kule was an adaptation of another children's game we called 'anto akyire'"
-snip-
Abena Gyebi is correct that the only Ghanaians who have given me information about this song are males. I'm very grateful that she has shared this performance information and information about the meaning of the word "Kum" in that song.
****
LYRICS AND PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES IN GHANA FOR THE FOLK SONG "KYE KYE KULE"
Example #1
Kye kule
Kye kye kule.
Kye kye kofi sa x2
kofi salanga x2
Salatilanga x2
kum ayede , kumayede , kumayede
[Source: information given to Azizi Powell by request from Ghanaian man whose name I don't recall; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1980s]
Performance: Hide & Seek game
For more information on the performance information & the meaning of some of the words to this song, visit Mudcat "Che Che Kule"
****
Example #2
Kyekule,
Kyekyekule.
Kyekye kofi sa x2
Kofi salanga x2
Salatilanga x2
kum ayede , kumayede , kumayede
[Source: information given to Azizi Powell by request from Nana Kwesi Afriya, from Ghana (Akan) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2004]
Performance: Ring Game (similar to how "Duck Duck Goose" is performed in the USA)
For more information on the words and the performance information that was shared with me, visit Mudcat "Che Che Kule"]
****
PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES FOR THE SONG "CHE CHE KULE" IN THE UNITED STATES
Example #1
Che Che Kule
Che Che Kofisa
Kofisa Langa
Langa te Lange
Kum Adende
Kum Adende. Kum.
[Source: Pittsburgh Public School District, elementary music song book, mid 1990s]
Performance instruction: a children's movement game similar to how "Head & Shoulders" is played in the USA
****
Example #2
Che Che Koolay
(an echo song from Africa)
Che Che Koolay , (Che Che Koolay)
Che Che Kofinsa, (Che Che Kofinsa)
Kofinsa langa, (Kofinsa langa)
Kata che langa, (Kata che langa)
Koom a dayn-day, (Koom a dayn-day),
Koom a dayn-day, (Koom a dayn-day),
Koom a dayn-day - HEY!
[Performance Activity]
Pat your head,
Wiggle your fingers,
Give your leg a shake
Pat your tummy
Bow down & welcome the day.
[Source: http://www.patana.ac.th/music/Year%201%20Show/Che_Che_Koolay.htm
-snip-
It appears that "Kye Kye Kule" is the only African song, or one of very few African songs that has been included in music books or otherwise taught in various American schools (as per text examples and YouTube videos online, and as per my personal experience. The version given above as Example #2 may be the version that is most often taught to Americans (in the United States).
****
OTHER FORMS OF CHE CHE KULE
SALSA
Puerto Rican musician Willie Colón (born in the USA) and Puerto Rican vocalist Hector Lavoe recorded a version of "Che Che Cole" on several of his albums, including their 1967 "El Malo" album and the album "Cosa Nuestra". A video of that version is found below. Here's the chorus of that Salsa version:
Che che colé, (que bueno e'………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e' la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e' tu lo ve………)
[as posted by Guest, ada in December 2008 on Mudcat: "Che Che Kule"]
Click
http://www.metrolyrics.com/che-che-cole-lyrics-marc-anthony.html for Spanish words to the complete song as performed by Marc Anthony. That version includes the lines:
"Che che colé,
que bueno e
Che che cofiza,
muerto 'e la risa"
****
FOOT STOMPING CHEERS IN THE USA THAT WERE INSPIRED BY THE SONG "CHE CHE KULE"
I observed one example of children's (African American girls) foot stomping cheer called "Jay Jay Cool Lay" (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, late 1980s). I have also collected several versions of foot stomping cheers called "J. J. Kool Aid". I believe that these cheers were based on the Ghanaian children's song "Kye Kye Kule" (although that doesn't appear to be known by those children). According to comments posted in that Mudcat thread on "Che Che Kule" that I started in 2008, Americanized versions of "Che Che Kule" were performed in various schools in the USA as early as the 1970s, often by African drumming & dance groups. It therefore isn't all that surprising that children would have created a cheer based on their memory of that song. Here's one example of those foot stomping cheers:
Soloist #1: Jay Jay cool lay
Group: Jay Jay cool lay
Soloist: #1 Salesah lahndah
Group: Salesah lahndah
Soloist #1: Step back, Shalanda (or "back, back Shalonda:)
Group: Step back, Shalanda
Soloist: #1 Oosh, my lover boy!
Group Oosh, my lover boy! (or "Oosh Oosh, my lover boy")
Soloist #1: I’m callin on,
I’m callin on
I’m callin on Rhonda!
[Immediately repeat the cheer from the beginning with a new soloist. Substitute the name or nickname of that soloist in the line "I'm callin on ____". Continue until every member of the group has had one turn as the soloist].
-African American girls, ages around 6-12 years (Lillian Taylor Summer Camp, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1987) audio recorded by Tazi Powell, transcribed by Azizi Powell 1999
-snip-
April 18, 2026- I have been incorrectly spelling the words "cool lay" in this foot stomping cheer. My daughter caught my mistake today when I was telling her about this post. She reminded me that these cheers were never written down so people didn't know how the words were spelled. But she believes that "cool" was spelled with a 'c" because "we were talking about how "cool" (meaning "how up to date with the latest street styles and actions" that the person who was dancing or stepping)person is. Plus we were saying the word "lay" as in "laying down". I had written those words as one word "kukalay". I think I made the mistake the first time because I was thinking of the Australian song "kookaburra" (sits on an old gum tree').
My apology for this mistake.
I collected a written example of a similar version of that foot stomping cheer entitled "J. J. Koolaid" from a woman I worked with who participated in a written survey of rhymes and cheers that I conducted at my job in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. She remembered doing that cheer in the e late 1980s Washington D.C. entitled "J. J. Koolaid".
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Revised April 18, 2026
This pancocojams post includes information, comments, YouTube examples, and text examples of the song which may be most widely known worldwide as "Che Che Kule".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the Ghanaian people for the folk song "Kye Kye Kule". Thanks to all those who are who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these YouTube sound files and videos and thanks to all those Thanks also to all those who published these examples on YouTube.
****
ORIGIN & MEANINGS
"Che Che Kule" (Akan language: "Kye Kye Kule") is a traditional children's game song from Ghana, West Africa.
The Afro-Latin band Osibisa's 1972 recording "Che Che Kule" was one of the first records that popularized the Ghanaian folk song "Kye Kye Kule". Read below for more information about Osibisa. Also read below about Willie Colon's 1967 Salsa record whose chorus includes the words "che che kule".
In the United States "Che Che Kule" appears to be mostly sung while performing the imitative movements like the children's song "Head And Shoulders, Knees And Toes". A Ghanaian man who commented on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread that I started indicated that that is how he learned "Kye Kye Kule". However, a Ghanaian woman who commented on that same discussion thread wrote that she remembers it as a ring chasing game similar to "duck duck goose".*
I'm not sure how "Kye Kye Kule" was traditionally played in Ghana or how (and if) that game is played now.
*Read the Mudcat discussion forum comments given below after the showcase videos.
Both "Che Che Kule" and "Kye Kye Kule" are pronounced "Shay Shay KOO-lay".
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Unfortunately, I have not yet found any videos of Ghanaian children singing or playing any "Kye Kye Kule" games.
These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube, with the oldest example given first.
Example #1: a Salsa version of "Che Che Kule"
Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon- "Che Che Cole" and "Machito"
Posted by jnyc101 / January 23, 2007
****
Example #2: Osibisa - Che Che Kule (Heads)
Uploaded by Feralbt on Sep 16, 2008
-snip-
Osibisa is a band, founded in London in the year 1969 by four African and three Caribbean musicians, who peaked in popularity in the 1970s. They were one of the first widely popular African band.
I believe that Osibisa's "Kye Kye Kule" was the record that first popularized "Che Che Kule" in the United States and in other Western nations.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osibisa for information about this Afro-Pop band. Here's a quote from that page:
"Osibisa are a British Afro-pop band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate African and three Caribbean musicians.[1] Their music is a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, funk, rock, Latin, and R&B. Osibisa were one of the first African-heritage bands to become widely popular and linked with the world music description.
"The name Osibisa was described in lyrics, album notes and interviews as meaning "criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness" but it actually comes from "osibisaba" the Fante word for highlife."
-snip-
"Highlife" is a type of music that originated in Ghana in the 1900s. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana for more information about Ghana. Also, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlife for information about "highlife".
-snip-
Fante (Fanti) is a language that is spoken by a group of the Akan people of Ghana. The Ashanti (Asante) may be the best known Akan people in the United States due to their production of colorful kinte cloth as well as their Sankofa symbol and other adinkra symbols.
****
Video #3: Shay Shay Koolay
Shay Shay Koolay
Posted by ElanaMichele, November 03, 2008
South African children performing "Kye Kye Kule".
"Thina, Noroza, and Hope lead Shay Shay Koolay in the field behind Sivuyiseni. Check out www.artworkforyouth.com."
****
Example #4: "Kye Kye Kule" performed by American children:
Kye Kye Kule - Robertson
doitmusically, Sep 24, 2009
The SK class singing a children's song from Ghana.
-snip-
Added Jun 10, 2020. This video replaces another 2009 video of American children singing Kye Kye Kule (also given as "Che Che Kule". That video is no longer available.
****
Video #5: The Ghana Bigshots - Kyekye Kule - AFH603
Afrikafestival Hertme, Published on Sep 17, 2014
Probably the best “young band” in Ghana at the moment, the Ghana Bigshots present their first album ‘Tu Na Me Nsa’ in April 2014. Originally formed in 2008, the band came to its present line-up 2 years ago, and has since then steadily improved.
****
ADDED NOVEMBER 2017
Video #6: Ghanian Song for Kids' Music Class - Kye Kye Kule.AVI
Tema Lee, Published on Oct 29, 2012
Here's a very good Ghanian activity song you can teach your preschool and kindergarten kids. This class was taught by Laura Etemah.
-snip-
The woman's last name suggests that she is from Ghana or the Ivory Coast (i.e. an Akan speaker which I believe is the population from which this song originated.)
****
COMMENTS ABOUT THE GHANAIAN FOLK SONG "KYE KYE KULE"
Here's a comment from a guest on a discussion thread that I started on "Che Che Kule":
"Subject: RE: Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 06:43 PM
Im from ghana and I have to say that Kofi is a ghana name and alot of the words in the song i can understand. I have been singing this song since I was a child. My mother knows it, my grandmother knows it and my great grand mother knows It. I recently caught the spanish verson on the radio and started singing along right away. I was very surprised someone else from another part of the world had made a song with my childhood play song. The song has been around for a least a few centuries Its not surprising that there have been different versions made."
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=108069 [Hereafter given as Mudcat "Che Che Kule"]
Editor: "Kofi" is an Akan (language/ethnic group from Ghana, West Africa and Côte d’Ivoire) personal name that means "male born on Friday". Notice the various versions of "kofi sa" that are found in the examples given below.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_namesfor information on Akan day names.
**
[UPDATE May 4, 2015]
Here are two other comments from that Mudcat discussion thread:
Subject: RE: Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: Azizi
Date: 26 Jan 08 - 10:25 AM
Here's an excerpt of the email that Quakoo [a Ghanaian man] sent to cocojams.com * about Kye Kye Kule in response to my questions to him about this song:
"I made some enquiries about this song. It is a Ga game but because of our school system which promotes ethnic fusion it has become a national thing. My dad couldn't really tell me the meaning of the words, but said that the words: "Salanga" is a name used by northerners [members of ethnic groups who live in the Northern part of Ghana] (could be Dagomba, Frafra or Gonja) so Kofi Salanga is a northern boy. And when singing the song,with the pronouncement of every sentence you touch your body in ascending and descending order. When you start "kyekye kule" (you touch your shoulders with both hands and those responding kyekye kule will do likewise, continue to your waist, knees and the toes) and this continues till you reach your toes and then you start all over again.
Kyekye kule on national t.v (called Ghana T.V or GTV) was a children's programme, and it was so popular that I never for once missed an episode. It was hosted by an old teacher. It was filled with several other Ghanaian games"...
-snip-
*Cocojams.com is my cultural website that I voluntarily closed in 2014. Quakoo later changed the spelling of his name to Kwaku on that Mudcat forum. He wrote to share that "kye" is the Akan spelling for that word, but he didn't indicate what, if anything, "kye" meant.
"Ga" is the name of an ethnic group in Ghana, West Africa. The Northern region is one of 10 regions in Ghana. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana and other websites for more information about Ghana, West Africa.
**
Kye Kye Kule {Che Che Kulay}
From: Azizi
Date: 15 May 09 - 02:22 PM
Here is an email about "Kye Kye Kule" that I received today from a Ghanaian woman, Abena Gyebi:
"Sorry, cocoyam, You see I have always known the Ghanaian children's song Kye kye kule. The Kum adende or Kum aye dei was always part of it. I do not believe it is a later addition; I mean I'm into my fifties and I've always known it with the Kum. Maybe it's because the people you talked to were male. I guess when we as girls were playing kye kye kule they were busy playing football or so.(Or hunting rats?-:)
'Kum' apart from its Akan meaning - to kill- is also the sound made when something falls heavily on the ground,like a child falling or something dropping.
The other version of the game was,instead of running behind the circle and tapping someone on the shoulder, one bent down and dropped a piece of cloth behind one of those sitting in the circle. It was supposed to be done so artfully that the one with the piece of cloth did not notice it.The singing and clapping then got more exciting as the runner got closer and closer to where she had dropped the piece of cloth. If the sitting person still did not notice the cloth, she got a 'boo' or a smack on the shoulder for being inattentive. On the other hand, if she got alerted, she would then run as fast as possible chasing the first runner until the first runner took her place in the circle. Then she would take over the kye kye kule and look for another person behind whom she would drop the piece of cloth. This version of kye kye kule was an adaptation of another children's game we called 'anto akyire'"
-snip-
Abena Gyebi is correct that the only Ghanaians who have given me information about this song are males. I'm very grateful that she has shared this performance information and information about the meaning of the word "Kum" in that song.
****
LYRICS AND PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES IN GHANA FOR THE FOLK SONG "KYE KYE KULE"
Example #1
Kye kule
Kye kye kule.
Kye kye kofi sa x2
kofi salanga x2
Salatilanga x2
kum ayede , kumayede , kumayede
[Source: information given to Azizi Powell by request from Ghanaian man whose name I don't recall; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1980s]
Performance: Hide & Seek game
For more information on the performance information & the meaning of some of the words to this song, visit Mudcat "Che Che Kule"
****
Example #2
Kyekule,
Kyekyekule.
Kyekye kofi sa x2
Kofi salanga x2
Salatilanga x2
kum ayede , kumayede , kumayede
[Source: information given to Azizi Powell by request from Nana Kwesi Afriya, from Ghana (Akan) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2004]
Performance: Ring Game (similar to how "Duck Duck Goose" is performed in the USA)
For more information on the words and the performance information that was shared with me, visit Mudcat "Che Che Kule"]
****
PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES FOR THE SONG "CHE CHE KULE" IN THE UNITED STATES
Example #1
Che Che Kule
Che Che Kofisa
Kofisa Langa
Langa te Lange
Kum Adende
Kum Adende. Kum.
[Source: Pittsburgh Public School District, elementary music song book, mid 1990s]
Performance instruction: a children's movement game similar to how "Head & Shoulders" is played in the USA
****
Example #2
Che Che Koolay
(an echo song from Africa)
Che Che Koolay , (Che Che Koolay)
Che Che Kofinsa, (Che Che Kofinsa)
Kofinsa langa, (Kofinsa langa)
Kata che langa, (Kata che langa)
Koom a dayn-day, (Koom a dayn-day),
Koom a dayn-day, (Koom a dayn-day),
Koom a dayn-day - HEY!
[Performance Activity]
Pat your head,
Wiggle your fingers,
Give your leg a shake
Pat your tummy
Bow down & welcome the day.
[Source: http://www.patana.ac.th/music/Year%201%20Show/Che_Che_Koolay.htm
-snip-
It appears that "Kye Kye Kule" is the only African song, or one of very few African songs that has been included in music books or otherwise taught in various American schools (as per text examples and YouTube videos online, and as per my personal experience. The version given above as Example #2 may be the version that is most often taught to Americans (in the United States).
****
OTHER FORMS OF CHE CHE KULE
SALSA
Puerto Rican musician Willie Colón (born in the USA) and Puerto Rican vocalist Hector Lavoe recorded a version of "Che Che Cole" on several of his albums, including their 1967 "El Malo" album and the album "Cosa Nuestra". A video of that version is found below. Here's the chorus of that Salsa version:
Che che colé, (que bueno e'………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e' la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e' tu lo ve………)
[as posted by Guest, ada in December 2008 on Mudcat: "Che Che Kule"]
Click
http://www.metrolyrics.com/che-che-cole-lyrics-marc-anthony.html for Spanish words to the complete song as performed by Marc Anthony. That version includes the lines:
"Che che colé,
que bueno e
Che che cofiza,
muerto 'e la risa"
****
FOOT STOMPING CHEERS IN THE USA THAT WERE INSPIRED BY THE SONG "CHE CHE KULE"
I observed one example of children's (African American girls) foot stomping cheer called "Jay Jay Cool Lay" (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, late 1980s). I have also collected several versions of foot stomping cheers called "J. J. Kool Aid". I believe that these cheers were based on the Ghanaian children's song "Kye Kye Kule" (although that doesn't appear to be known by those children). According to comments posted in that Mudcat thread on "Che Che Kule" that I started in 2008, Americanized versions of "Che Che Kule" were performed in various schools in the USA as early as the 1970s, often by African drumming & dance groups. It therefore isn't all that surprising that children would have created a cheer based on their memory of that song. Here's one example of those foot stomping cheers:
Soloist #1: Jay Jay cool lay
Group: Jay Jay cool lay
Soloist: #1 Salesah lahndah
Group: Salesah lahndah
Soloist #1: Step back, Shalanda (or "back, back Shalonda:)
Group: Step back, Shalanda
Soloist: #1 Oosh, my lover boy!
Group Oosh, my lover boy! (or "Oosh Oosh, my lover boy")
Soloist #1: I’m callin on,
I’m callin on
I’m callin on Rhonda!
[Immediately repeat the cheer from the beginning with a new soloist. Substitute the name or nickname of that soloist in the line "I'm callin on ____". Continue until every member of the group has had one turn as the soloist].
-African American girls, ages around 6-12 years (Lillian Taylor Summer Camp, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1987) audio recorded by Tazi Powell, transcribed by Azizi Powell 1999
-snip-
April 18, 2026- I have been incorrectly spelling the words "cool lay" in this foot stomping cheer. My daughter caught my mistake today when I was telling her about this post. She reminded me that these cheers were never written down so people didn't know how the words were spelled. But she believes that "cool" was spelled with a 'c" because "we were talking about how "cool" (meaning "how up to date with the latest street styles and actions" that the person who was dancing or stepping)person is. Plus we were saying the word "lay" as in "laying down". I had written those words as one word "kukalay". I think I made the mistake the first time because I was thinking of the Australian song "kookaburra" (sits on an old gum tree').
My apology for this mistake.
I collected a written example of a similar version of that foot stomping cheer entitled "J. J. Koolaid" from a woman I worked with who participated in a written survey of rhymes and cheers that I conducted at my job in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. She remembered doing that cheer in the e late 1980s Washington D.C. entitled "J. J. Koolaid".
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