Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about Rock & Roll (Rhythm & Blues) musician, singer, and songwriter Chuck Berry and showcases Chuck Berry's classic 1956 song "Roll Over Beethoven".
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Chuck Berry for his musical legacy. Rest in Peace.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube videos.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT CHUCK BERRY
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive. Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.[1]...
Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986; he was cited for having "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance."[5] Berry is included in several of Rolling Stone magazine's "greatest of all time" lists; he was ranked fifth on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[6] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll includes three of Berry's: "Johnny B. Goode", "Maybellene", and "Rock and Roll Music".[7] Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is the only rock-and-roll song included on the Voyager Golden Record.[8]"...
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll_Over_Beethoven
"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music. The title of the song is an imperative directed at the composer Ludwig van Beethoven to roll over in his grave in reaction to the new genre of music that Berry was promoting. The song has been covered by many other artists, including the Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 97 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[2]
Inspiration and lyrics
According to Rolling Stone[3] and Cub Koda of Allmusic,[4] Berry wrote the song in response to his sister Lucy always using the family piano to play classical music when Berry wanted to play popular music. The lyric "roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news" refers to how classical composers would roll over in their graves upon hearing that classical music had given way to rock and roll.
In addition to the classical composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the lyrics mention or allude to several popular artists: "Early in the Mornin'" is the title of a Louis Jordan song; "Blue Suede Shoes" refers to the Carl Perkins song; and "hey diddle diddle", from the nursery rhyme "The Cat and the Fiddle", is an indirect reference to the Chess recording artist Bo Diddley, who was an accomplished violin player. Although the lyrics mention rocking and rolling, the music that the classics are supposed to step aside for is referred to as rhythm and blues. The lyric "a shot of rhythm and blues" was appropriated as the title of a song recorded by Arthur Alexander and others.
The lyric about a "rhythm revue" refers to old-style R&B shows, in which numerous artists appeared on one bill in front of a big band."...
****
LYRICS- ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
(Chuck Berry)
I'm gonna write a little letter,
gonna mail it to my local DJ
It's a rockin' rhythm record
I want my jockey to play
Roll Over Beethoven, I gotta hear it again today
You know, my temperature's risin'
and the jukebox blows a fuse
My heart's beatin' rhythm
and my soul keeps on singin' the blues
Roll Over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news
I got the rockin' pneumonia,
I need a shot of rhythm and blues
I think I'm rollin' arthritis
sittin' down by the rhythm review
Roll Over Beethoven rockin' in two by two
Well, if you feel you like it
go get your lover, then reel and rock it
Roll it over and move on up just
a trifle further and reel and rock it,
roll it over,
Roll Over Beethoven rockin' in two by two
Well, early in the mornin' I'm a givin' you a warnin'
don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Hey diddle diddle, I am playin' my fiddle,
ain't got nothin' to lose
Roll Over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news
You know she wiggles like a glow worm,
dance like a spinnin' top
She got a crazy partner,
oughta see 'em reel and rock
Long as she got a dime the music will never stop
Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven and dig these rhythm and blues
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/chuckberry/rolloverbeethoven.html
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS:
Example #1: Chuck Berry - Roll over Beethoven 1972 live
fritz5173, Uploaded on Jan 17, 2008
Chuck Berry - Roll over Beethoven 1972 live
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
deweypug, 2013
"Chuck blows into town with just his guitar, hires some amateur musicians and rocks the house... amazing."
**
MultiScooped, 2013
"I thought he was crazy when he toured without his own band... but when he's doing the guitar, it doesn't even matter, it's just that good!"
**
John A, 2013
"Here is an ultimate tribute to Chuck, the Beatles opened their 1st ever concert in the USA with this song..."
**
William Willberforce, 2016
"he invented the sound that so many copied and still copy."
**
Reply
scouserla1, 2016
"Correct. The Stones were truly influenced by Chuck. Jagger and Richards don't have a problem admitting it either. Elvis was never the king of rock n roll, this fella was. End of"
**
Wylie Miller, 2016
"Mos Def" would have to play young Chuck Berry! "
**
Reply
Dolfin3sque - Music Artist, 2016
"+Wylie Miller lol he already has, havnt you seen the film about chess records called cadillac records, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James, Mos Def as Chuck Berry"
**
Nam Yarasree, 2017
" "If Rock n'roll had a name, it could be called Chuck Berry" J. Lennon.
R.I.P., Chuck Berry🌺"
**
Hudrun Hilde, 2017
"now he sings and swings and rocks with the angels....R.I.P. <3 ...we will never forget CHUCK BERRY!!!!"
****
Example #2: Roll Over Beethoven (live) - Chuck Berry
LaforcedePoupouille, Uploaded on Oct 22, 2010
Roll Over Beethoven est une chanson écrite en 1956 par Chuck Berry. Ce single, rapidement devenu un hit, est notoirement un des premiers enregistrements de rock 'n' roll.
Le titre de la chanson est une référence au compositeur de musique classique Ludwig van Beethoven et à l'arrivée massive du rock 'n' roll sur les ondes radios, qui bousculent les mœurs de l'époque.
L'introduction, reste incontournable, pour tous les guitaristes.
Google translate from French to English
Roll Over Beethoven is a song written in 1956 by Chuck Berry. This single, quickly become a hit, is notoriously one of the earliest recordings of rock 'n' roll.
The title of the song is a reference to the composer of classical music Ludwig van Beethoven and the massive arrival of rock 'n' roll on radio waves, which shake the manners of the time.
The introduction, remains unavoidable, for all guitarists.
-snip-
Several commenters guessed that this performance was from a concert in the 1960s, probably in Europe.
Here are some selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Eleanor Howard, 2016
"It's Tchaikowsky -- composer of Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, 1812 Overture, many other classical masterworks. The first time I heard this clever & rockin' gem I was gassed by the very idea of the lyrics. Berry was a genius."
**
Esmeralda's Life Fandango, 2016
"How I love this guy's music. I remember back in the day when each of his new records came out. (Yes, I am an old broad!) I would skip lunches so I could use my lunch money to buy his newest 45. It cost 52 cents, tax included. The music shop was right across the street from my grade school. I would buy the records and rush right home to play them over and over. Chuck Berry and Little Richard were kings of rock and roll! Still are, in my opinion."
**
Reply
dlebret, 2017
"What a precious time that must have been."
**
Reply
Esmeralda's Life Fandango, 2017
"It was, indeed, dlebret. Of course, when you are about ten years old, what isn't to like? But I feel privileged to have been around to enjoy the start of rock and roll and so many careers of rock giants."
****
Example #3: Roll Over Beethoven - Chuck Berry LIVE
Rabih Amhaz Published on Jul 28, 2012
Chuck Berry performing in a French TV show Live*
AMAZING Performance ! One of 500 Greatest song of all time !
-snip-
* Several commenters corrected the description in this summary. This performance was actually in Belguim (1965). Here's one of those comments:
countryclassic100, 2014
"1965 - Belgium TV(RTB) with Willy Albimoor(piano) , Willy Donni(guitar), Ed Rogers(bass)"
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread
2017
Jacqui Stephenson
"memories of a music lesson at school when our teacher asked us to bring something classical in .one of the lads brought this in !the teachers face was a picture .RIP CHUCK BERRY .KEEP ON ROCKING IN HEAVEN ."
**
Nickygino 1964
"Thank you Chuck for the tremendous and powerful legacy of Rock & Roll music you single handedly invented and left the world with. So many picked up a guitar and tried to copy what you did and became rock stars in their own right.Your songs are legendary and surpass generations. What would the world have been with out Chuck Berry? You are the roots, you are the true beginning,You are the true pioneer, you are the man that put it all together. I thank GOD that i had the chance to see you in concert several times over the years and LOVED every minute of it.Words couldn't describe seeing a true living legend perform.What would a Wurlitzer jukebox be without a couple of Chuck Berry records (remember those?) spinning in it??............Maybelline, Johnny B. Good, Roll over Beethoven, Rock & Roll music, School Days,..........TRUE ROCK & ROLL.........May GOD rest your soul Chuck and I THANK YOU for all the great music and truly the wonderful legacy you left us with and all the memories your songs brought! Rock on in heaven Chuck..........RIP............"
**
daanje10621
"Wow- Chuck Berry died! Thoughts: Elvis was a vocal genius who synthesized country, gospel, Western, blues into unique vocal performances of songs written by others. You could say Chuck Berry had a narrow range compared to Elvis and total respect to Elvis, but Chuck Berry still stands above and beyond Elvis for two main reasons: 1. Chuck wrote at least 30 hits- 2:45 rock and roll singles- which defined the form for the next 30 years. 2. Chuck Berry's guitar playing sound and style influenced a two generations of rock guitar players. Whenever I hear Roll Over Beethoven it sounds as fresh today as it did 60 years ago. I honestly can't say that about Elvis records- they sound dated- except the Sun Sessions. Thanks for reading."
**
Thomas Lang
"Decades ahead of it's time. Truth is...black people were doing this in the 40's. Rock "n Roll was actually called black music and the general public was told not to listen to it. This was one of those "break" the barrier moments. The Beatles, the Stones, etc...guess what, this is where it came from. I'm still amazed at how some people deny it...."
**
Ryan Silver
"i wish i had the confidence of black men who were successful at this time. imagine the self esteem you must need to do your thing when most of the country hates you"
****
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOrMg3pY7hw Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven (1956)
King Bee, 2014
"If you'll notice, Chuck starts off so fast on the guitar riff that it catches Johnnie Johnson (piano) and Willie Dixon (bass) by surprise for a bit! However, they lock in by the end of the riff. With the still-uncredited trumpeter and violin, tenor sax L.C. Davis (later James Brown's first bandleader) and the solid beat of drummer Fred Below, Chuck hits the first verse dead on."
**
Robert Moyse, 2014
"If you look at the early days of rock and roll, many songs were composed by black people and performed by white people, for example Shake Rattle and Roll (Turner/Haley), and Sh-Boom (Chords/Crew-Cuts). Music, as with much of society at the time, was heavily segregated, if you want to know more, research the controversy on Ray Charles' What'd I Say."
**
Reply
Jennifur Sun, 2014
"sadly this was true one reason is because back in that time period Black music wasn't allowed in the home. i wish i could say i'm sorry to a lot of those people about how they were treated, it's too late and probably a lot of them wouldn't care. glad music has changed in that respect"
**
Reply
King Bee, 2014
"+Robert Moyse Here's an interesting fact...way back in 1951, the owners of WLOU-AM Louisville, then a struggling AM daytimer, divided their programming day roughly into thirds to get the ratings up. It was 1/3 each of standards, C&W, and for Louisville's large "Negro" community, R&B....standards didn't improve things, C&W rose ratings 36%...and the R&B programming upped ratings 228% over previous periods, with C.E. Hooper Ratings (now Nielsen Audio to you youngsters) saying that 1/4 of the rise was wiithin White radio households! WLOU re-tooled and became one of the USA's first five full-time R&B stations October 21, 1951. (The same weekend CBS-TV introduced The Eye logo, BTW.) "
**
WarpRulez, 2016
"Is it just my imagination, or does the beginning sound an awful lot like Johnny B. Goode?"
**
Reply
Franco, 2016
"Johnny B. Goode - Roll Over Beethoven - Let it Rock! - Dear Dad - Fun, Fun, Fun - Carol - Little Queenie - Back in the Usa...Etc"
**
Reply
Benny Biggums, 2016
"Most Chucky Berry Songs use the same guitar rift, just slightly different."
**
Reply
wifey, 2017
"It's the exact same arpeggio for the opening of the riff but changes it up a bit after that. Roll over beevtoven is in Eb and johnny b good is in Bb both 12 bar boogie woogie blues."
****
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaEC-lWSlmI
Chuck Berry - My Ding-A-Ling (1972)
David James, 2016
"Here's something to think about. This song, My Ding a Ling, was Chuck Berry's only #1 hit song and it didn't happen until 1972, well past Chuck's prime song era of the late 50s. Chuck has often been referred to as the Father of Rock and Roll, and for good reason. His compositions are rock classics. Songs like Johnny B. Good, Roll Over Beethoven, No Particular Place to Go and Memphis, plus dozens more, made him a rock legend. So, why didn't any of those songs hit #1? Very simple. Racism. There were literally hundreds of radio stations in the 50s, especially in the South, that were owned by white individuals or corporations who refused to play what they considered "race" music. Some performers, like Pat Boone, stepped in and made vanilla cover versions of Chuck's classics. This divided the audience and prevented Chuck Berry from getting the #1 hits he deserved, and rightfully so. To me, Chuck was denied his rightful place on the Billboard Top 40 Charts, but he'll always be the Father of Rock and Roll."
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Rock and Roll songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rock and Roll songs. Show all posts
Monday, March 20, 2017
Monday, September 10, 2012
Bo Diddley - Dearest Darling (Sound File, Lyrics, And Comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post provides a sound file & lyrics of Bo Diddley's 1957 Rock and Roll song "Dearest Darling". This post also includes my comments about that song & Bo Diddley's use of adapted African American religious verses and African American folk verses in many of his songs.
The content of this post is provided for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE: Bo Diddley Dearest Darling Checker 78rpm
Uploaded by JOHN KENNEDY on May 3, 2010
Monster blues bop by the mighty Bo. This was the B side to his 1958 release 'Hush Your Mouth' This is my favourite Diddley release and it can still pack the dance floor to this day. RIP Mr Diddley
****
LYRICS: DEAREST DARLING
(Bo Diddley)
Chorus:
Dearest darling
[yeah]
Dearest darling
Dearest darling, yeah
Oh-o
Verse 1:
Don't you know the Lord above
Created you
Just for me to love
Picked you out
From all the rest
Because He knew
I loved you best
Chorus
Dearest darling
Dearest darling
Dearest yeah darling
Take my hand
Take my hand
Verse #2:
I once had a heart
So tender and true
But now it's gone
From me to you
Take care of it
Like I have done
For you have two hearts
and I have none
Chorus:
Dearest oh oh oh oh, darling
Dearest darling
Dearest, yeah yeah,
dearest, yeah yeah
Dearest, yeah yeah,
Dearest, yeah yeah
Darling, yeah yeah,
Darling, yeah yeah
Verse #3
If I get to Heaven
Before you do
I'll try to make a hole
And pull you through
Woh, dearest, dearest
Dearest, dearest, aah
If I go to Heaven
And you not there
I'm gonna write your name
On the Heavenly stairs
If you aren't there
By judgement day
Then I'll know baby
You went the other way
Woh, dearest, dearest
Woh, dearest, yeah yeah yeah
Oh oh sweet baby
Oh sweet baby
Yeah yeah yeah.
[This is a basic transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file of this song. Corrections and additions are welcome.]
****
COMMENTS
"Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter (usually as Ellas McDaniel), and rock and roll pioneer"... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley.
-snip-
Like most of his songs, some verses of Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" are witty adaptations of earlier non-religious and/or religious songs from African American traditions. For example, take this verse from Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" song:
"If I get to heaven
Before you do
I'll try to make a hole
And pull you through"
-snip-
That verse is an adaption of this African American Spiritual/Gospel floating verse:
If you get there
before I do,
Look out for me
I'm coming through.
[from the song "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" in Thirty-six South Carolina Spirituals edited by Carl Diton, G. Schirmer, Inc. NY 1928, posted on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=75082]
Another version of that floating verse, from my memory of various Spirituals, is
"If you get to heaven before I do
Just tell my friends I'm coming too."
-snip-
A secular adaptation of that verse is sometimes used for the song "Oh You Can't Get To Heaven" (also known as "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More"). Here's an example of that verse:
"If you get to Heaven before I do,
Just drill a hole and pull me through."
-snip-
The concept of "making" (or digging) a hole in heaven and pulling someone through so that she or he can also be in heaven is one that I've read in other earlier African American secular songs. I think that concept is similar to this verse that is found in the song entitled "Plaster" that is included in Thomas W. Talley's now classic 1922 collection entitled Negro Folk Songs: Wise & Otherwise:
"Well:
Mammy an' daddy's dead an' gone.
Did you ever hear deir story?
Dey sticked some plasters on deir heels,
An' drawed 'em up to Glory!"
-snip-
Click http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm to find a digitalized version of Talley's book. Additional examples of African American secular songs can also be found on this page of my Cocojams website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs.
To cite two examples of Bo Diddley songs that are based on adapted folk verses, the song "Bo Diddley" is an adaptation of the song "Mockingbird" ("Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry"). And the song "Hey Bo Diddley" is an adaptation of the 19th century African American song "Hambone".
Bo Diddley also used the pattin Juba "Hambone" beat in so many of his songs that that rhythm is often called "the Bo Diddley beat".
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley fot more information about the Rock and Roll legend Bo Diddley and his songs.
****
RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/aint-gonna-grieve-my-lord-no-more.html
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
My thanks to the Bo Diddley for his musical legacy. Thanks also to the uploader of the sound file that is featured in this post.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post provides a sound file & lyrics of Bo Diddley's 1957 Rock and Roll song "Dearest Darling". This post also includes my comments about that song & Bo Diddley's use of adapted African American religious verses and African American folk verses in many of his songs.
The content of this post is provided for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE: Bo Diddley Dearest Darling Checker 78rpm
Uploaded by JOHN KENNEDY on May 3, 2010
Monster blues bop by the mighty Bo. This was the B side to his 1958 release 'Hush Your Mouth' This is my favourite Diddley release and it can still pack the dance floor to this day. RIP Mr Diddley
****
LYRICS: DEAREST DARLING
(Bo Diddley)
Chorus:
Dearest darling
[yeah]
Dearest darling
Dearest darling, yeah
Oh-o
Verse 1:
Don't you know the Lord above
Created you
Just for me to love
Picked you out
From all the rest
Because He knew
I loved you best
Chorus
Dearest darling
Dearest darling
Dearest yeah darling
Take my hand
Take my hand
Verse #2:
I once had a heart
So tender and true
But now it's gone
From me to you
Take care of it
Like I have done
For you have two hearts
and I have none
Chorus:
Dearest oh oh oh oh, darling
Dearest darling
Dearest, yeah yeah,
dearest, yeah yeah
Dearest, yeah yeah,
Dearest, yeah yeah
Darling, yeah yeah,
Darling, yeah yeah
Verse #3
If I get to Heaven
Before you do
I'll try to make a hole
And pull you through
Woh, dearest, dearest
Dearest, dearest, aah
If I go to Heaven
And you not there
I'm gonna write your name
On the Heavenly stairs
If you aren't there
By judgement day
Then I'll know baby
You went the other way
Woh, dearest, dearest
Woh, dearest, yeah yeah yeah
Oh oh sweet baby
Oh sweet baby
Yeah yeah yeah.
[This is a basic transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file of this song. Corrections and additions are welcome.]
****
COMMENTS
"Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter (usually as Ellas McDaniel), and rock and roll pioneer"... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley.
-snip-
Like most of his songs, some verses of Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" are witty adaptations of earlier non-religious and/or religious songs from African American traditions. For example, take this verse from Bo Diddley's "Dearest Darling" song:
"If I get to heaven
Before you do
I'll try to make a hole
And pull you through"
-snip-
That verse is an adaption of this African American Spiritual/Gospel floating verse:
If you get there
before I do,
Look out for me
I'm coming through.
[from the song "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More" in Thirty-six South Carolina Spirituals edited by Carl Diton, G. Schirmer, Inc. NY 1928, posted on http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=75082]
Another version of that floating verse, from my memory of various Spirituals, is
"If you get to heaven before I do
Just tell my friends I'm coming too."
-snip-
A secular adaptation of that verse is sometimes used for the song "Oh You Can't Get To Heaven" (also known as "Ain't Gonna Grieve My Lord No More"). Here's an example of that verse:
"If you get to Heaven before I do,
Just drill a hole and pull me through."
-snip-
The concept of "making" (or digging) a hole in heaven and pulling someone through so that she or he can also be in heaven is one that I've read in other earlier African American secular songs. I think that concept is similar to this verse that is found in the song entitled "Plaster" that is included in Thomas W. Talley's now classic 1922 collection entitled Negro Folk Songs: Wise & Otherwise:
"Well:
Mammy an' daddy's dead an' gone.
Did you ever hear deir story?
Dey sticked some plasters on deir heels,
An' drawed 'em up to Glory!"
-snip-
Click http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm to find a digitalized version of Talley's book. Additional examples of African American secular songs can also be found on this page of my Cocojams website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs.
To cite two examples of Bo Diddley songs that are based on adapted folk verses, the song "Bo Diddley" is an adaptation of the song "Mockingbird" ("Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry"). And the song "Hey Bo Diddley" is an adaptation of the 19th century African American song "Hambone".
Bo Diddley also used the pattin Juba "Hambone" beat in so many of his songs that that rhythm is often called "the Bo Diddley beat".
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley fot more information about the Rock and Roll legend Bo Diddley and his songs.
****
RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/aint-gonna-grieve-my-lord-no-more.html
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
My thanks to the Bo Diddley for his musical legacy. Thanks also to the uploader of the sound file that is featured in this post.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
"3 6 9 The Goose Drank Wine" - The Clapping Rhyme (Lyrics, & Video Examples)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases videos and early examples of the English language children's rhyme "3 6 9 The Goose Drank Wine". This children's rhyme is also known as "Once Upon A Time The Goose Drank Wine". Recorded versions of this rhyme are known as "The Clapping Game".
The content of this post is presented for recreational, folkloric, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
All rights to this material remain with their owners.
****
RHYME & SONG INFORMATION
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clapping_Song:
"The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Callello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Ellis had released "The Name Game". The lyrics of "The Clapping Song" were borrowed from the song "Little Rubber Dolly", a 1930s song recorded by the Light Crust Doughboys, and also feature instructions for a clapping game. The song made it to #8 on the charts.
The song returned to the charts in 1982, when the Belle Stars' version charted at number 11 in the U.K. This version did not chart in the U.S."
-snip-
"The Clapping Game" lyrics also include a version of the American children's rhyme "Once Upon A Time" (The Goose Drank Wine)". Thhis rhyme is also known as "3 6 9 (The Goose Drank Wine)". Several early versions of that rhyme are given in the Rhyme Example section below.
****
EARLY RHYME EXAMPLES
From http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=5088 "Lyr Req: Once upon a time, the Goose drank wine..."
Example #1:
Our version is South Carolina was:
Once upon a time, a goose chewed wine
Billy goat a'settin' on the streetcar line
Streetcar broke, the monkey got choked
and they all went to heaven on a nanny goat."
-Guest,WadeHP; Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:18 PM
****
Example #2
My version is a little diffrerent. I grew up in the south in the 1930's and we sang it this way:
"Once upon a time, The goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line.
The streetcar broke and the monkey choked,
And they all went to heaven on a dead billy goat."
Now, ain't that a hoot???
****
Example #3
This is the "goose drank wine" rhyme as I remember it from my childhood in the 1950's. I don't recall any game or activity associated with it; we just recited it.
Once upon a time
the goose drank wine;
the hen pecked corn
off the streetcar line.
The streetcar broke
the monkey got choked
Steamboat! Steamboat!
Holler like a Nanny Goat!
Guest,Terry Mount; Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:26 AM
****
Example #4:
All of the above versions seem to be American.
For a possibly earlier English chant obviously related.(1950s Yorkshire)
Once upon a time when pigs ate/sh^t* lime
And monkeys chewed tobacco,
The little piggy run with his finger up his bum,
To see what was the matter.
I'm sure I've seen other British variants too.
Ah here we are.
Chambers Popular Rhymes of Scotland p57
Lang syne, when geese were swine,
And turkeys chewed tobacco,
And birds biggit their nests in auld men's beards
And mowdies del't potawtoes--
which kicks off a folk tale called The Wife and her Bush of Berries.
I have another half dozen versions from various parts of Britain.
-Steve Gardham; Date: 29 Jul 09 - 07:09 PM
Editor:
*The "s" word is fully spelled out in this post.
****
Example #5
My mother-in-law, Marguerite LeMieux Marsh, taught me a version of this rhyme that she learned in Orono, Maine in the 1920s.
"Once upon a time when a goose drank wine,
and a monkey chewed tobacco on a streetcar line.
The streetcar broke. The monkey told a joke.
And they all went to heaven in a little tin boat."
This may have been one of the first rhymes she learned in English, as they spoke French at home, and her knowledge of English was rather scanty when she first went to school.
-Guest,Silvia Wilson; Date: 29 Jul 09 - 11:02 AM
****
Example #6
Once upon a time the goose drank wine the monkey played the fiddle on the sweet potato vine..The vine broke the monkey choked they all went to heaven on a billy goat I learned that verse from my Gradmother (Louisiana)
-GUEST,Beckie In louisiana; Date: 14 Jan 10 - 04:51 PM
****
Example #7
Same meter, similar verse from Hopalong Peter- might have been a ropeskip verse?
Old mother Hubbard and her dog were Dutch
A bow-legged rooster and he hobbled on a crutch
The hen chewed tobacco and the duck drank wine
The goose played the fiddle on the pumpkin vine
-iancarterb; Date: 15 Jan 10 - 10:35 PM
Click http://www.lizlyle.lofgrens.org/RmOlSngs/RTOS-Hopalong.html for information, lyrics, and a music score of the song "Hopalong Peter". The author of that post writes that "Hopalong Peter isn't very widely collected, and I suspect that means it isn't very old. There seem to have been two recordings on 78s..."
****
SONG LYRICS: THE CLAPPING GAME
(Lincoln Chase)
Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked,
They all went to heaven in a little row-boat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Slap
Clap-Pat: Clap your hand, pat it on your partner's hand (right hand)
Clap-Pat: Clap your hand, cross it with your left arm, pat your partner's left palm
Clap-Pat: Clap your hand, pat your partner's right palm with your right palm again
Clap-Slap: Clap your hands, slap your thighs, and sing a little song; go:
My mother told me
If I was good-ee
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My aunty told her
I kissed a soldier
Now she won't buy me
A rubber dolly
Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked,
They all went to heaven in a little row-boat
Clap-clap: Clap you hands and prepare to pat
Pat: Take your right arm pat your partner's right palm with your right palm
Clap: Take your hands back and clap
Pat: Take you right arm cross your right arm with your left arm pat your partner's left palm with your left palm.
Clap: Take your hands back and clap
Pat: Take your right arm cros your left arm and pat your partner's right palm with your right palm.
Clap: Now back, with a clap
Take the flats of your palms and slap your thighs and watch the fun materialize as you sing this little song:
My mother told me
If I was good-ee
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My aunty told her
I kissed a soldier
Now she won't buy me
A rubber dolly
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Slap
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Slap
From http://www.lyricsbay.com/the_clapping_song_lyrics-shirley_ellis.html
-snip-
The Belle Stars sung the same song lyrics as Shirley Ellis.
***
FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song
Uploaded on Aug 13, 2009
3 6 9 the goose drank wine ... you know the clap song
-snip-
The Clapping Song" was recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965, shortly after she hit it big with a similar song, "The Name Game". Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKHorRUHXM&feature=related for a video of that song.
"The Clapping Song" made it to the top ten on the charts.
This film clip is from the television show "Shivaree".
****
Video #2: Belle Stars - The clapping song 1982
Uploaded by fritz5135 on Aug 30, 2010
****
Video #3: 2012 Beetle High Five Volkswagen Commercial
Uploaded by openwheel6 on Sep 19, 2011
I did the driving for this commercial. I do not own the rights to this commercial.
****
RELATED LINKS
A verse from UB 40's 1983 Reggae song "Red Red Wine" has very similar lyrics to the children's playground rhyme "Once Upon A Time [or "3-6-9"] The Goose Drank Wine":
"Red red wine you make me feel so fine
Monkey pack him rizla pon the sweet dep line"
-snip-
From Arbuthnot, Date: 15 Jan 10 - 01:10 AM on Mudcat link given above:
"Rizla is what the English call those cigarette papers - the manufacturers are a company called Riz, La Croix (translates as Rice and Cross), and they shortened the name to Riz La+ on the packets!"
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYQ1lkP1j_g for a video of "Red Red Wine".
Also click http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/babymama/redredwine.htm for the lyrics of that song.
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the un-named composers of the children's rhyme "3 6 9 The Goose Drank Wine" ("Once Upon A Time The Goose Drank Wine"). Thanks also to the Lincoln Chase for his composition "The Clapping Song" and Shirley Ellis, and others for their performance of that song. My thanks also to the producers, videographers, video uploaders, and commenters who I have quoted in this post.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post showcases videos and early examples of the English language children's rhyme "3 6 9 The Goose Drank Wine". This children's rhyme is also known as "Once Upon A Time The Goose Drank Wine". Recorded versions of this rhyme are known as "The Clapping Game".
The content of this post is presented for recreational, folkloric, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
All rights to this material remain with their owners.
****
RHYME & SONG INFORMATION
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clapping_Song:
"The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Callello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Ellis had released "The Name Game". The lyrics of "The Clapping Song" were borrowed from the song "Little Rubber Dolly", a 1930s song recorded by the Light Crust Doughboys, and also feature instructions for a clapping game. The song made it to #8 on the charts.
The song returned to the charts in 1982, when the Belle Stars' version charted at number 11 in the U.K. This version did not chart in the U.S."
-snip-
"The Clapping Game" lyrics also include a version of the American children's rhyme "Once Upon A Time" (The Goose Drank Wine)". Thhis rhyme is also known as "3 6 9 (The Goose Drank Wine)". Several early versions of that rhyme are given in the Rhyme Example section below.
****
EARLY RHYME EXAMPLES
From http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=5088 "Lyr Req: Once upon a time, the Goose drank wine..."
Example #1:
Our version is South Carolina was:
Once upon a time, a goose chewed wine
Billy goat a'settin' on the streetcar line
Streetcar broke, the monkey got choked
and they all went to heaven on a nanny goat."
-Guest,WadeHP; Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:18 PM
****
Example #2
My version is a little diffrerent. I grew up in the south in the 1930's and we sang it this way:
"Once upon a time, The goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line.
The streetcar broke and the monkey choked,
And they all went to heaven on a dead billy goat."
Now, ain't that a hoot???
****
Example #3
This is the "goose drank wine" rhyme as I remember it from my childhood in the 1950's. I don't recall any game or activity associated with it; we just recited it.
Once upon a time
the goose drank wine;
the hen pecked corn
off the streetcar line.
The streetcar broke
the monkey got choked
Steamboat! Steamboat!
Holler like a Nanny Goat!
Guest,Terry Mount; Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:26 AM
****
Example #4:
All of the above versions seem to be American.
For a possibly earlier English chant obviously related.(1950s Yorkshire)
Once upon a time when pigs ate/sh^t* lime
And monkeys chewed tobacco,
The little piggy run with his finger up his bum,
To see what was the matter.
I'm sure I've seen other British variants too.
Ah here we are.
Chambers Popular Rhymes of Scotland p57
Lang syne, when geese were swine,
And turkeys chewed tobacco,
And birds biggit their nests in auld men's beards
And mowdies del't potawtoes--
which kicks off a folk tale called The Wife and her Bush of Berries.
I have another half dozen versions from various parts of Britain.
-Steve Gardham; Date: 29 Jul 09 - 07:09 PM
Editor:
*The "s" word is fully spelled out in this post.
****
Example #5
My mother-in-law, Marguerite LeMieux Marsh, taught me a version of this rhyme that she learned in Orono, Maine in the 1920s.
"Once upon a time when a goose drank wine,
and a monkey chewed tobacco on a streetcar line.
The streetcar broke. The monkey told a joke.
And they all went to heaven in a little tin boat."
This may have been one of the first rhymes she learned in English, as they spoke French at home, and her knowledge of English was rather scanty when she first went to school.
-Guest,Silvia Wilson; Date: 29 Jul 09 - 11:02 AM
****
Example #6
Once upon a time the goose drank wine the monkey played the fiddle on the sweet potato vine..The vine broke the monkey choked they all went to heaven on a billy goat I learned that verse from my Gradmother (Louisiana)
-GUEST,Beckie In louisiana; Date: 14 Jan 10 - 04:51 PM
****
Example #7
Same meter, similar verse from Hopalong Peter- might have been a ropeskip verse?
Old mother Hubbard and her dog were Dutch
A bow-legged rooster and he hobbled on a crutch
The hen chewed tobacco and the duck drank wine
The goose played the fiddle on the pumpkin vine
-iancarterb; Date: 15 Jan 10 - 10:35 PM
Click http://www.lizlyle.lofgrens.org/RmOlSngs/RTOS-Hopalong.html for information, lyrics, and a music score of the song "Hopalong Peter". The author of that post writes that "Hopalong Peter isn't very widely collected, and I suspect that means it isn't very old. There seem to have been two recordings on 78s..."
****
SONG LYRICS: THE CLAPPING GAME
(Lincoln Chase)
Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked,
They all went to heaven in a little row-boat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Slap
Clap-Pat: Clap your hand, pat it on your partner's hand (right hand)
Clap-Pat: Clap your hand, cross it with your left arm, pat your partner's left palm
Clap-Pat: Clap your hand, pat your partner's right palm with your right palm again
Clap-Slap: Clap your hands, slap your thighs, and sing a little song; go:
My mother told me
If I was good-ee
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My aunty told her
I kissed a soldier
Now she won't buy me
A rubber dolly
Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked,
They all went to heaven in a little row-boat
Clap-clap: Clap you hands and prepare to pat
Pat: Take your right arm pat your partner's right palm with your right palm
Clap: Take your hands back and clap
Pat: Take you right arm cross your right arm with your left arm pat your partner's left palm with your left palm.
Clap: Take your hands back and clap
Pat: Take your right arm cros your left arm and pat your partner's right palm with your right palm.
Clap: Now back, with a clap
Take the flats of your palms and slap your thighs and watch the fun materialize as you sing this little song:
My mother told me
If I was good-ee
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My aunty told her
I kissed a soldier
Now she won't buy me
A rubber dolly
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Slap
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Pat
Clap-Slap
From http://www.lyricsbay.com/the_clapping_song_lyrics-shirley_ellis.html
-snip-
The Belle Stars sung the same song lyrics as Shirley Ellis.
***
FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song
Uploaded on Aug 13, 2009
3 6 9 the goose drank wine ... you know the clap song
-snip-
The Clapping Song" was recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965, shortly after she hit it big with a similar song, "The Name Game". Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKHorRUHXM&feature=related for a video of that song.
"The Clapping Song" made it to the top ten on the charts.
This film clip is from the television show "Shivaree".
****
Video #2: Belle Stars - The clapping song 1982
Uploaded by fritz5135 on Aug 30, 2010
****
Video #3: 2012 Beetle High Five Volkswagen Commercial
Uploaded by openwheel6 on Sep 19, 2011
I did the driving for this commercial. I do not own the rights to this commercial.
****
RELATED LINKS
A verse from UB 40's 1983 Reggae song "Red Red Wine" has very similar lyrics to the children's playground rhyme "Once Upon A Time [or "3-6-9"] The Goose Drank Wine":
"Red red wine you make me feel so fine
Monkey pack him rizla pon the sweet dep line"
-snip-
From Arbuthnot, Date: 15 Jan 10 - 01:10 AM on Mudcat link given above:
"Rizla is what the English call those cigarette papers - the manufacturers are a company called Riz, La Croix (translates as Rice and Cross), and they shortened the name to Riz La+ on the packets!"
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYQ1lkP1j_g for a video of "Red Red Wine".
Also click http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/babymama/redredwine.htm for the lyrics of that song.
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the un-named composers of the children's rhyme "3 6 9 The Goose Drank Wine" ("Once Upon A Time The Goose Drank Wine"). Thanks also to the Lincoln Chase for his composition "The Clapping Song" and Shirley Ellis, and others for their performance of that song. My thanks also to the producers, videographers, video uploaders, and commenters who I have quoted in this post.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Song Sources For Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update - April 29, 2025
This pancocojams post showcases nine examples of songs or rhymes that influenced the development of the playground rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" or versions of that rhyme.
I don't mean to indicate or imply that the featured songs in this post are the only songs or the only creative works that influenced the development of the huge family of playground rhymes known as "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (or similar first lines/titles).
Significantly, this post only includes two "frog in the well" songs, although many more of these very very old songs are important to the development of the playground rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to the composers and performers of this music. My thanks also to the videographers and uploaders of these featured videos, and thanks to Joseph Scott for the information given below in the Feb 11, 2014 update to this post.
****
SHORT FORMS AND LONG FORMS OF "DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY" RHYMES
In analyzing "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes (including examples in this rhyme family with similar titles), I've categorized those examples as having a short form or a long form.
Short Form:
There are numerous versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (or similar titles). One standard short version of this rhyme is:
down by the river of the hanky banky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
say eeps oops soda pop
He missed the lilypad
And went KERPLOP!
-snip-
Long Form:
An example of the long version of this rhyme often mentions Pop music singer Michael Jackson.
Here's one example of the long version of "Down By The Banks..."
Down by the river with the hanky bankys
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
say an
epp
opp
epp
bop
bop
Skittle dittle curly pop
I pledge allegence to the flag
That Micheal jackson makes me gag
Diet Pepsi came to town
Coca-Cola pushed him down
Orange soda picked him up
Now I'm drinking 7 up
7up caught the flu
Now I'm drinking Moutain Dew
Moutain Dew fell off the moutain
Now I'm drinking from a fountian
Foutain Broke
Now I'm drinking plain old Coke
-Guest; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=940347/15/2007 "Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky", July 15, 2007
-snip-
That example is included in this pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/folk-etymology-forms-of-references-to.html
Forms Of The Name "Billie Jean" In "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on the song's recording date, and not the date that the video was posted on YouTube.
Note that there are earlier examples of songs that influenced "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes. One of those songs is May Irwin's "Foolish Frog", 1907.
Click http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/Br3189.html
"DESCRIPTION: A bull frog "with nothin else to do" falls, jumps around, and falls in a well. The preacher warns that the Devil is looking for folks with "nothin else to do" If you want your wings, stay home with your family instead of going to other frogs' farms
The example given as #3 below may have the same or similar lyrics and tune as the song that May Irwin sung, a song that is documented that she got from Black American sources.
****
Example #1: Chubby Parker & His Old Time Banjo - King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O [1928)
misterbamboostick, Published on Jul 23, 2012
Chubby Parker & His Old Time Banjo - King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O (from Harry Smith's 'Anthology of American Folk Music : Ballads'). Support your favourite artists : buy vinyl, cd's or legal downloads. I don't own the rights to this song, I just want to share good music.
****
Example 2: Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie
Fats Waller - Topic Published on Aug 23, 2015
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises
Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie · Fats Waller
Historical Jazz Recordings: 1938-1940
[Update: October 30, 2020]
The sound file that was originally embedded in this post is no longer available.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcv1NJeP-SU&ab_channel=OnlyJazzHQ
for a sound file of this Jazz tune.
****
Example #3: "Foolish Frog" by Blind Blake (1952)
Uploaded by folkgrassboy on Jul 30, 2008
Featured on VOLUME 2 of his Art Records releases. Calypso from the Bahamas.
Featured on VOLUME 2 of his Art Records releases. Calypso from the Bahamas. Here are the lyrics with slight variation: Away down yonder in Yankety Yank A bullfrog jumped from bank to bank Cause there wasn't nothin' else to do; He stubbed his to and in he fell An' de neighbors all say that he went to...well, 'Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do. cho: An' jus' lots of folks is like dis foolish frog of mine, A-runnin' into trouble jus' to pass de time. An' de devil's allus loafin' 'round jus' to grab de kind That never hasn't nothin' else to do. When dey buried dat frog, de preacher said, "De reason why dis young frog is dead, "'Cause there wasn't nothin 'else to do." An' all you frogs jus' a listen to me, Yo' bettah stay at home wid yo' family, When you hav'nt nothin' else to do. Some frogs I know is pow'ful fond Of spendin' dey time in' nother frog's pond, 'Cause dey hasn't nothin'else to do. But dis consolation, de Good Book brings, De frog of dem habits won't wear no wings, 'Cause he hasn't nothin' else to do. Now all of yo' people dat heah dis song, Yo' knows why dis po' frog went wrong, 'Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do. You'd bettah keep busy on any kind of pay, Till de big horn blow on de judgement day, Den you will hab somethin' else to do.
-snip-
[Added September 19, 2021:
From https://archive.org/stream/frankcbrowncolle03fran/frankcbrowncolle03fran_djvu.txt
The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society"
****
Example #4. David Seville My Friend The Witch Doctor [1958]
oldtimer874, Uploaded on Oct 20, 2011
****
Example #5: The Jetsons - Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah [1962]
ladythatsmyskull, Uploaded on Jan 22, 2007
Originally performed by Howard Morris. Jetsons music video featuring 'Jet Screamer' from 60's TV show.
****
Example #6: Joe Perkins - Little Eeefin' Annie [1963]
Uploaded by TheLimePopsicle on Aug 15, 2009
Charted at #76 on Billboard Hot 100 in September 1963. Vocal by Joe and the "eefin" is performed by Jimmie Riddle. This was Joe's only Hot 100 entry.
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eefing:
"Eefing (also written eeephing, eephing, eeefing, eefin, or eefn' and doubtless other ways) is an Appalachian (United States) vocal technique similar to beatboxing, but nearly a century older. Jennifer Sharpe describes it as "a kind of hiccupping, rhythmic wheeze that started in rural Tennessee more than 100 years ago.""...
****
Example #7. Manfred Mann Do Wah Diddy Very Good quality Live, [1964]
videosMLR, Uploaded on Jul 6, 2011
-snip-
The lyrics "do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do" are found in some post 1982 versions of "Down By The Banks..." This line is particularly found when the "Coca Cola came to town" rhyme is combined with certain versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that mention Michael Jackson.
****
Example #8: Pete Seeger - The Foolish Frog [1973]
Steve Johnson, Published on Apr 12, 2013
Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes (Little and Big) - 1998
-snip-
Pete Seeger's "Foolish Frog" book, song, and short animated film was first released in 1973. Those products are significant for helping to introduce children to the story of the foolish frog. Seeger learned this song from his father who based it upon May Irwin's "Foolish Frog". However, the lyrics and tune that Pete Seeger popularized are quite different from the contemporary "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky' rhymes. The tune used for "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes* is the same as or very similar to the "The Three Little Fishies" song. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541HKD8alfg for a 1939 sound file of that song.
*There are a number of examples of the long form "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky rhyme" in the comment threads of YouTube videos of the short form of that rhyme. However, to date, I've not come across any video of the long form of that rhyme, and I've never heard it chanted in person. Therefore, I'm not sure what tune it uses.
****
Example #9: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean [1982]
Uploaded by michaeljacksonVEVO on Oct 2, 2009
Music video by Michael Jackson performing Billie Jean. © 1982 MJJ Productions Inc.
****
Example #10: Coca cola went to town [1982?]
Published on Mar 21, 2012 by Nadia Smalling
****
UPDATE: February 11, 2014
Subject: RE: Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 11 Feb 15 - 05:37 PM
"Down by the banks of the Hanky-Panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky"
_Norfolk, The Marine Metropolis Of Virginia_ by G. Nowitsky, 1888, includes
"He came to the banks
Of the Pasquotank,
Where the bull-frogs jump
From bank to bank...."
_With The Guns In South Africa_ 1901 includes
"'Way down on the Hanky-Pank,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
Because they have nuthin' else to do-oo-oo !"
An article "'Coon' Tales From The Bahamas" in _The English Illustrated Magazine_ in 1905 included
"Once 'pon a time was a berry good time,
Monkey chew terbacco en spit white lime,
Cockroach keep time.
Bullfrog jump from bank to bank,
En he hin' quattah don' touch wattah."
E.C. Perrow recalled hearing this in Tennessee in 1905:
"...
Way daown yander in China-rank
The bullfrog jumped frum bank to bank...."
Newman White (1892-1948) wrote in the 1920s: "From childhood I have known...:
'Way down yonder in Pasquotank
Bull frog jumped from bank to bank"
-snip-
In another Mudcat Folk Music forum comment, (guest) Joseph Scott identified himself as a blues researcher.
****
RELATED LINKS
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/02/down-by-banks-of-hanky-panky-video.html "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (video & different text examples)
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Latest Update - April 29, 2025
This pancocojams post showcases nine examples of songs or rhymes that influenced the development of the playground rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" or versions of that rhyme.
I don't mean to indicate or imply that the featured songs in this post are the only songs or the only creative works that influenced the development of the huge family of playground rhymes known as "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (or similar first lines/titles).
Significantly, this post only includes two "frog in the well" songs, although many more of these very very old songs are important to the development of the playground rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky".
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to the composers and performers of this music. My thanks also to the videographers and uploaders of these featured videos, and thanks to Joseph Scott for the information given below in the Feb 11, 2014 update to this post.
****
SHORT FORMS AND LONG FORMS OF "DOWN BY THE BANKS OF THE HANKY PANKY" RHYMES
In analyzing "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes (including examples in this rhyme family with similar titles), I've categorized those examples as having a short form or a long form.
Short Form:
There are numerous versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (or similar titles). One standard short version of this rhyme is:
down by the river of the hanky banky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank
say eeps oops soda pop
He missed the lilypad
And went KERPLOP!
-snip-
Long Form:
An example of the long version of this rhyme often mentions Pop music singer Michael Jackson.
Here's one example of the long version of "Down By The Banks..."
Down by the river with the hanky bankys
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
say an
epp
opp
epp
bop
bop
Skittle dittle curly pop
I pledge allegence to the flag
That Micheal jackson makes me gag
Diet Pepsi came to town
Coca-Cola pushed him down
Orange soda picked him up
Now I'm drinking 7 up
7up caught the flu
Now I'm drinking Moutain Dew
Moutain Dew fell off the moutain
Now I'm drinking from a fountian
Foutain Broke
Now I'm drinking plain old Coke
-Guest; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=940347/15/2007 "Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky", July 15, 2007
-snip-
That example is included in this pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/folk-etymology-forms-of-references-to.html
Forms Of The Name "Billie Jean" In "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" Rhymes
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on the song's recording date, and not the date that the video was posted on YouTube.
Note that there are earlier examples of songs that influenced "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes. One of those songs is May Irwin's "Foolish Frog", 1907.
Click http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/Br3189.html
"DESCRIPTION: A bull frog "with nothin else to do" falls, jumps around, and falls in a well. The preacher warns that the Devil is looking for folks with "nothin else to do" If you want your wings, stay home with your family instead of going to other frogs' farms
AUTHOR: Credited to Charles E. Trevathan
EARLIEST DATE: 1907 (recording, May Irwin); Protobilly gives
a composition date of 1896, but with no documentation."....
Also. click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRiXFErbIsY&ab_channel=JoanMorris%26WilliamBolcom-Topic for a YouTube sound file cover of this song entitled "May Irwin's "Frog" Song" [published by Joan Morris & William Bolcom - Topic Aug 26, 2014 ; from "After The Ball Plus Highlights From "Vaudeville"...
The example given as #3 below may have the same or similar lyrics and tune as the song that May Irwin sung, a song that is documented that she got from Black American sources.
****
Example #1: Chubby Parker & His Old Time Banjo - King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O [1928)
misterbamboostick, Published on Jul 23, 2012
Chubby Parker & His Old Time Banjo - King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O (from Harry Smith's 'Anthology of American Folk Music : Ballads'). Support your favourite artists : buy vinyl, cd's or legal downloads. I don't own the rights to this song, I just want to share good music.
****
Example 2: Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie
Fats Waller - Topic Published on Aug 23, 2015
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises
Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie · Fats Waller
Historical Jazz Recordings: 1938-1940
[Update: October 30, 2020]
The sound file that was originally embedded in this post is no longer available.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcv1NJeP-SU&ab_channel=OnlyJazzHQ
for a sound file of this Jazz tune.
****
Example #3: "Foolish Frog" by Blind Blake (1952)
Uploaded by folkgrassboy on Jul 30, 2008
Featured on VOLUME 2 of his Art Records releases. Calypso from the Bahamas.
Featured on VOLUME 2 of his Art Records releases. Calypso from the Bahamas. Here are the lyrics with slight variation: Away down yonder in Yankety Yank A bullfrog jumped from bank to bank Cause there wasn't nothin' else to do; He stubbed his to and in he fell An' de neighbors all say that he went to...well, 'Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do. cho: An' jus' lots of folks is like dis foolish frog of mine, A-runnin' into trouble jus' to pass de time. An' de devil's allus loafin' 'round jus' to grab de kind That never hasn't nothin' else to do. When dey buried dat frog, de preacher said, "De reason why dis young frog is dead, "'Cause there wasn't nothin 'else to do." An' all you frogs jus' a listen to me, Yo' bettah stay at home wid yo' family, When you hav'nt nothin' else to do. Some frogs I know is pow'ful fond Of spendin' dey time in' nother frog's pond, 'Cause dey hasn't nothin'else to do. But dis consolation, de Good Book brings, De frog of dem habits won't wear no wings, 'Cause he hasn't nothin' else to do. Now all of yo' people dat heah dis song, Yo' knows why dis po' frog went wrong, 'Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do. You'd bettah keep busy on any kind of pay, Till de big horn blow on de judgement day, Den you will hab somethin' else to do.
-snip-
[Added September 19, 2021:
From https://archive.org/stream/frankcbrowncolle03fran/frankcbrowncolle03fran_djvu.txt
The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society"
[page] 189
"Way Down Yonder in Pasquotank;
244. Our particular rhyme he says be has known from boyhood.
Forms of it showing the rhyme with "bank" (though
not the proper
noun Pascjuotank ) have been reported from Virginia (FSV 151
),
Tennessee (JAFL .xxvi 135), Soudi Carolina (JAFL xliv 425.
Negroes), Alabama (ANFS 244), and Mississippi (JAFL xxvi
135)-
'Pasquotank.' Contributed, probably in 191 3, by the Reverend L. D.
Haynian of Elizabeth City, Pasquotank county. ...
Way down ycmder in Pasquotank.
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
They jump so high they break their shank.
The old grey goose went "yankety yank.'"
-snip-
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CImi8VwNN1A for the Pete Seeger version of this 19th century song.
****
Example #4. David Seville My Friend The Witch Doctor [1958]
oldtimer874, Uploaded on Oct 20, 2011
****
Example #5: The Jetsons - Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah [1962]
ladythatsmyskull, Uploaded on Jan 22, 2007
Originally performed by Howard Morris. Jetsons music video featuring 'Jet Screamer' from 60's TV show.
****
Example #6: Joe Perkins - Little Eeefin' Annie [1963]
Uploaded by TheLimePopsicle on Aug 15, 2009
Charted at #76 on Billboard Hot 100 in September 1963. Vocal by Joe and the "eefin" is performed by Jimmie Riddle. This was Joe's only Hot 100 entry.
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eefing:
"Eefing (also written eeephing, eephing, eeefing, eefin, or eefn' and doubtless other ways) is an Appalachian (United States) vocal technique similar to beatboxing, but nearly a century older. Jennifer Sharpe describes it as "a kind of hiccupping, rhythmic wheeze that started in rural Tennessee more than 100 years ago.""...
****
Example #7. Manfred Mann Do Wah Diddy Very Good quality Live, [1964]
videosMLR, Uploaded on Jul 6, 2011
-snip-
The lyrics "do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do" are found in some post 1982 versions of "Down By The Banks..." This line is particularly found when the "Coca Cola came to town" rhyme is combined with certain versions of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" that mention Michael Jackson.
****
Example #8: Pete Seeger - The Foolish Frog [1973]
Steve Johnson, Published on Apr 12, 2013
Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes (Little and Big) - 1998
-snip-
Pete Seeger's "Foolish Frog" book, song, and short animated film was first released in 1973. Those products are significant for helping to introduce children to the story of the foolish frog. Seeger learned this song from his father who based it upon May Irwin's "Foolish Frog". However, the lyrics and tune that Pete Seeger popularized are quite different from the contemporary "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky' rhymes. The tune used for "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" rhymes* is the same as or very similar to the "The Three Little Fishies" song. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541HKD8alfg for a 1939 sound file of that song.
*There are a number of examples of the long form "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky rhyme" in the comment threads of YouTube videos of the short form of that rhyme. However, to date, I've not come across any video of the long form of that rhyme, and I've never heard it chanted in person. Therefore, I'm not sure what tune it uses.
****
Example #9: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean [1982]
Uploaded by michaeljacksonVEVO on Oct 2, 2009
Music video by Michael Jackson performing Billie Jean. © 1982 MJJ Productions Inc.
****
Example #10: Coca cola went to town [1982?]
Published on Mar 21, 2012 by Nadia Smalling
****
UPDATE: February 11, 2014
Subject: RE: Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 11 Feb 15 - 05:37 PM
"Down by the banks of the Hanky-Panky
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky"
_Norfolk, The Marine Metropolis Of Virginia_ by G. Nowitsky, 1888, includes
"He came to the banks
Of the Pasquotank,
Where the bull-frogs jump
From bank to bank...."
_With The Guns In South Africa_ 1901 includes
"'Way down on the Hanky-Pank,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank,
Because they have nuthin' else to do-oo-oo !"
An article "'Coon' Tales From The Bahamas" in _The English Illustrated Magazine_ in 1905 included
"Once 'pon a time was a berry good time,
Monkey chew terbacco en spit white lime,
Cockroach keep time.
Bullfrog jump from bank to bank,
En he hin' quattah don' touch wattah."
E.C. Perrow recalled hearing this in Tennessee in 1905:
"...
Way daown yander in China-rank
The bullfrog jumped frum bank to bank...."
Newman White (1892-1948) wrote in the 1920s: "From childhood I have known...:
'Way down yonder in Pasquotank
Bull frog jumped from bank to bank"
-snip-
In another Mudcat Folk Music forum comment, (guest) Joseph Scott identified himself as a blues researcher.
****
RELATED LINKS
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/02/down-by-banks-of-hanky-panky-video.html "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" (video & different text examples)
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Rockin Robin (Tweeleelee) Videos
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision- November 26, 2023
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the playground rhyme "Rockin Robin" (also known as "Tweeleelee", "Tweet Baby" and similar sounding names). Part II of this series showcases selected videos of the Rock & Roll records that inspired this rhyme, as well as selected videos of the rhyme itself.
A general overview, performance information, textual analysis, and text examples of "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") are provided in Part I of this series. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html for that post.
My thanks to the musical artists and handclap performers featured in these showcased videos. My thanks also to all the video publishers.
****
PART II: FEATURED VIDEOS
[Warning: YouTube viewer comments may contain profanity, and otherwise may not be suitable for children.]
VIDEO #1: Rockin' Robin The Jackson 5 Five 1972 Michael Joseph Jackson 08-29-1958 To 06-25-2009
Gold Song, Published on Oct 29, 2011
He rocks in the tree tops all day long Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song All the little birdies on Jaybird Street Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet Blow rockin' robin Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Every little swallow, every chick-a-dee
Every little bird in the tall oak tree
The wise old owl, the big black crow
Flappin' their wings singing go bird go
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Yeah yeah
Pretty little raven at the bird-band stand
Told them how to do the bob and it was grand
They started going steady and bless my soul
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriol
He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Pretty little raven at the bird-band stand
Told them how to do the bop and it was grand
They started going steady and bless my soul
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriol
He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight....
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin'_Robin_(song):
"Michael Jackson recorded and released a cover version of "Rockin' Robin" in 1972, which was taken from his first solo album titled Got to Be There. It was the biggest hit from the album, peaking at number two on the Hot 100 and R&B charts."
-snip-
I showcased Michael Jackson's version of the "Rockin Robin" song first because it and not the 1958 version by Bobby Day appears to be the inspiration for the handclap rhyme. In support of that position, there doesn't appear to be any examples of "Rockin Robin" handclap rhymes prior to Michael Jackson's recording of that song.
****
VIDEO #2: Rockin' Robin (Original)
Buddha Mist Uploaded on Feb 10, 2011
Bobby Day_Rockin Robin
-snip-
From the Pop's Chart
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin'_Robin_(song):
"'Rockin' Robin' is a song written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas and recorded by Bobby Day in 1958. It was Day's only hit single, becoming a number-two hit on the Billboard Hot 100."
****
VIDEO #3: Tweet Baby
bkmamii | May 25, 2008
The girls playing waiting for the train
****
VIDEO #4: Rockin' Robin part 2
Posted by OMGxxWeeWaa / July 01, 2007
"science class, last day of school"
-snip-
This version of "Rockin Robin" includes lines from the playground rhyme "I Woke Up Sunday Morning."
****
VIDEO #5: Rockin' Robin Clapping Game
braellyra, Uploaded on Mar 5, 2010
We finally succeeded at the 3 person version of the Rockin' Robin clapping game. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is until you try...
****
VIDEO #6: Rockin' Robin
uploaded by KatiiV3nom / February 20, 2009
"My friends and I after school: Kari(orange), Jalen(brown), Jetrin(navy blue), Me(black). Shake, shake, shake to the bottom of the lake!"
****
VIDEO #7: Jamaican Ring Games
ochoriostube | June 13, 2009
Clord playing ring games with children of the Epworth All Age school
-snip-
It appears that the Jamaican definition for "ring games" includes hand clap rhyme routines and other children's movement activities that isn't done in a ring. This is different from the definition of that term in the USA ("ring games" = "singing games performed by people standing or sitting in a circle".
The way these three Jamaican school girls and a woman (their teacher?) perform this hand game is very similar to the American way this game is played, except for the players shaking their hands out (wiggling their fingers in front of their bodies) when they say the introductory lines to that rhyme. I think that I hear a version of "Oh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie" ("Take A Peach Take A Plum") rhyme after the first verse of the rhyme that they call "Twee Twee Twee". Unfortunately, I can't decipher what they are saying.
****
UPDATE: November 27, 2018
VIDEO #8: rockin robin "twee tweet" ahah!
amyuthi, Published on Dec 18, 2009
we played this game and it was funn. LOL!xD
-snip-
Notice that these girls aren't chanting but are performing this hand clap routine to Bobby Day's 1958 "Rockin Robin" record*. This contrasts with other video performances of this hand clap rhyme and with my observations of this game played in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and some surrounding communities. Furthermore, the record that usually is considered to be the source of the Rockin Robin hand game is The Jackson Five's record and not Bobby Day's record.
*I've never known children or adults do hand clap routines while listening to a record.
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
JellicleKat, 2014
"LOL Not bad girls! We use to play this on the playground at recess in the 1970’s when I about your age. We started differently and we started to the sides but yea it’s basically the same so WELL DONE!!!"
****
VIDEO #9: Old school hand game (tweet tweet)
Sharon Humes, Published on Aug 31, 2014
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. willow407, 2015
"I LOVE THIS Thank y'all for posting it...gonna play this with my friends. I'm 52. Reminds me of my Bed-Stuy early days playin this! Y'all was great, including the video recording guy , the singing guy. GREAT FUN ! Thanks!"
**
2. trinigyul, 2017
"I love you guys for this, it was also very heart warming to see the big ass men in doo rags playing clap games. Brings back memories of west indian primary school days. We couldnt wait til recess and after school to form clap game cliques lol. Well done guys!"
**
3. debba9802, 2017
"Love this! My 8 year old daughter just taught me some of her hand clap games so I had to find a video to show her what we used to do back in the 80s."
****
This concludes this two part series on "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee").
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Latest Revision- November 26, 2023
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the playground rhyme "Rockin Robin" (also known as "Tweeleelee", "Tweet Baby" and similar sounding names). Part II of this series showcases selected videos of the Rock & Roll records that inspired this rhyme, as well as selected videos of the rhyme itself.
A general overview, performance information, textual analysis, and text examples of "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee") are provided in Part I of this series. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/rockin-robin-tweeleelee-analysis.html for that post.
My thanks to the musical artists and handclap performers featured in these showcased videos. My thanks also to all the video publishers.
****
PART II: FEATURED VIDEOS
[Warning: YouTube viewer comments may contain profanity, and otherwise may not be suitable for children.]
VIDEO #1: Rockin' Robin The Jackson 5 Five 1972 Michael Joseph Jackson 08-29-1958 To 06-25-2009
Gold Song, Published on Oct 29, 2011
He rocks in the tree tops all day long Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song All the little birdies on Jaybird Street Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet Blow rockin' robin Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Every little swallow, every chick-a-dee
Every little bird in the tall oak tree
The wise old owl, the big black crow
Flappin' their wings singing go bird go
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Yeah yeah
Pretty little raven at the bird-band stand
Told them how to do the bob and it was grand
They started going steady and bless my soul
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriol
He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight
Pretty little raven at the bird-band stand
Told them how to do the bop and it was grand
They started going steady and bless my soul
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriol
He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin, tweet tweet tweet
Rockin' robin' tweet tweetly-tweet
Blow rockin' robin
'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight....
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin'_Robin_(song):
"Michael Jackson recorded and released a cover version of "Rockin' Robin" in 1972, which was taken from his first solo album titled Got to Be There. It was the biggest hit from the album, peaking at number two on the Hot 100 and R&B charts."
-snip-
I showcased Michael Jackson's version of the "Rockin Robin" song first because it and not the 1958 version by Bobby Day appears to be the inspiration for the handclap rhyme. In support of that position, there doesn't appear to be any examples of "Rockin Robin" handclap rhymes prior to Michael Jackson's recording of that song.
****
VIDEO #2: Rockin' Robin (Original)
Buddha Mist Uploaded on Feb 10, 2011
Bobby Day_Rockin Robin
-snip-
From the Pop's Chart
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin'_Robin_(song):
"'Rockin' Robin' is a song written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas and recorded by Bobby Day in 1958. It was Day's only hit single, becoming a number-two hit on the Billboard Hot 100."
****
VIDEO #3: Tweet Baby
bkmamii | May 25, 2008
The girls playing waiting for the train
****
VIDEO #4: Rockin' Robin part 2
Posted by OMGxxWeeWaa / July 01, 2007
"science class, last day of school"
-snip-
This version of "Rockin Robin" includes lines from the playground rhyme "I Woke Up Sunday Morning."
****
VIDEO #5: Rockin' Robin Clapping Game
braellyra, Uploaded on Mar 5, 2010
We finally succeeded at the 3 person version of the Rockin' Robin clapping game. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is until you try...
****
VIDEO #6: Rockin' Robin
uploaded by KatiiV3nom / February 20, 2009
"My friends and I after school: Kari(orange), Jalen(brown), Jetrin(navy blue), Me(black). Shake, shake, shake to the bottom of the lake!"
****
VIDEO #7: Jamaican Ring Games
ochoriostube | June 13, 2009
Clord playing ring games with children of the Epworth All Age school
-snip-
It appears that the Jamaican definition for "ring games" includes hand clap rhyme routines and other children's movement activities that isn't done in a ring. This is different from the definition of that term in the USA ("ring games" = "singing games performed by people standing or sitting in a circle".
The way these three Jamaican school girls and a woman (their teacher?) perform this hand game is very similar to the American way this game is played, except for the players shaking their hands out (wiggling their fingers in front of their bodies) when they say the introductory lines to that rhyme. I think that I hear a version of "Oh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie" ("Take A Peach Take A Plum") rhyme after the first verse of the rhyme that they call "Twee Twee Twee". Unfortunately, I can't decipher what they are saying.
****
UPDATE: November 27, 2018
VIDEO #8: rockin robin "twee tweet" ahah!
amyuthi, Published on Dec 18, 2009
we played this game and it was funn. LOL!xD
-snip-
Notice that these girls aren't chanting but are performing this hand clap routine to Bobby Day's 1958 "Rockin Robin" record*. This contrasts with other video performances of this hand clap rhyme and with my observations of this game played in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and some surrounding communities. Furthermore, the record that usually is considered to be the source of the Rockin Robin hand game is The Jackson Five's record and not Bobby Day's record.
*I've never known children or adults do hand clap routines while listening to a record.
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
JellicleKat, 2014
"LOL Not bad girls! We use to play this on the playground at recess in the 1970’s when I about your age. We started differently and we started to the sides but yea it’s basically the same so WELL DONE!!!"
****
VIDEO #9: Old school hand game (tweet tweet)
Sharon Humes, Published on Aug 31, 2014
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. willow407, 2015
"I LOVE THIS Thank y'all for posting it...gonna play this with my friends. I'm 52. Reminds me of my Bed-Stuy early days playin this! Y'all was great, including the video recording guy , the singing guy. GREAT FUN ! Thanks!"
**
2. trinigyul, 2017
"I love you guys for this, it was also very heart warming to see the big ass men in doo rags playing clap games. Brings back memories of west indian primary school days. We couldnt wait til recess and after school to form clap game cliques lol. Well done guys!"
**
3. debba9802, 2017
"Love this! My 8 year old daughter just taught me some of her hand clap games so I had to find a video to show her what we used to do back in the 80s."
****
This concludes this two part series on "Rockin Robin" ("Tweeleelee").
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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