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Showing posts with label take a peach take a plum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label take a peach take a plum. Show all posts

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Hand Clap Rhymes That Include The "Winston Taste Good" Cigarette Jingle Or Adaptations Of That Jingle



Winston Cigarettes Commercial (1955)

Throwback, Oct 15, 2009

 • SUMMARY •

"Winston tastes good like a *clap* *clap* cigarette should!"  This is the classic commercial from 1955 with the catchy slogan used from 1954 (when Winston was introduced) to 1972 in advertising campaigns.  The first appearance of the slogan was on a print ad in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in September 1954.

________________________________________________

 

THIS VIDEO DOES NOT ENDORSE TOBACCO USE!

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents a few examples of  the LARGE family of children's rhymes that include the "Winston Taste Good" cigarette jingle or adapted versions of that jingle.

These rhymes are part of the even LARGER "Oo ah I wanna piece of pie" / "take a peach, take a plum" family of children's recreational rhymes.

This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on brand names in children's recreational rhymes.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/brand-names-jump-rope-hand-clap-rhymes.html for the 2017  pancocojams post entitled "Brand Names In Children's Jump Rope & Hand Clap Rhymes". 

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This pancocojams post does not promote cigarette smoking. These examples are presented to document how American children often combine a line or lines from product jingles with verses from recreational rhymes to create another rhyme. 

Notice how some of the examples in this compilation suggests that the chanters didn't know that "Winston" is a brand name for cigarettes. Also, notice that in two of the examples in this compilation "Winston" is changed to "Snickers". "Snickers" is a brand name for a chocolate candy bar.     

The earliest example that I've come across for the "Winston Taste Good" cigarette jingle in children's rhymes or adaptations of that cigarette jingle is 1967. If you remember that rhyme from the 1960s (or earlier), please share the example you remember in the comment section below. Remember to add demographic information, especially the year (decade) you remember chanting this rhyme or hearing it chanted, and the city/state or country if outside of the United States) where you chanted this rhyme. Thanks in advance!

****
EARLY SOURCES FOR THE "OO AH I WANNA PIECE OF PIE" LINES IN THESE RHYMES
quoting https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=5610
"The oldest known version of this rhyme goes back to the childhood of Richard Wright who grew up in the 1910's – 20's. It can be found in his short story called, "Big Boy Leaves Home" from Uncle Tom's Children (1938)…

Bye n bye
Ah wanna piece of pie
Pies too sweet
Ah wanna piece of meat
Meats too red
Ah wanna piece of bread
Breads too brown
Ah wanna go t town
Towns too far
Ah wanna ketch a car
Cars too fas
Ah fall n break mah a*s
Ah'll understan it better bye n bye ."

**
Another 
early example of the "oo ah I wanna piece of pie" line in these children's recreational rhymes is found in Fats Waller's 1941Jazz song "Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece Of Pie". Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61bvAdlM4o&ab_channel=OnlyJazzHQ for a sound file of that song. 

****
EXAMPLES OF CHILDREN'S RHYMES THAT INCLUDE THE WINSTON TASTE GOOD JINGLE OR ADAPTATIONS OF THAT JINGLE

These examples are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes. 

1. "
Hand clapping game 

Winston tastes good like a cigarette should like oh ah wanta piece of pie pie to sweet, want a piece of meat meat to tough, want ride a bus bus to full want to ride a bull bull to fast want my money back money to green want a jelly bean bean to red want to go to bed now close your eyes and count to ten, if you miss start over again 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10"
- 
http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml

**
2. "
I know this one…

Winston smells good
Just like a (pause) coconut
Just like a — ooh Ahh
I want a piece of pie
pie’s too sweet
I want a piece of meat
meat’s too tough
I want to ride a bus
bus’s too full
I want to buy a mule
mule’s too fast
I want my money back
money’s back to clean
I want a jumpin’ bean
jumpin’ bean to hot
I want to lick the pot
pot’s not there
I want to dye my hair
Hair’s too wet
I want to make a bet
game’s been fixed
I want to take some pics
pics all blurry
I want to eat some curry
curry too gray
I want to go and play
ground too muddy
I want to see my buddy
time’s too late
I think i have a date
date’s in a hole
I want to hug a vole
vole’s too vile
I guess I’ll wait awhile
Time’s clocked up
I want to spend a buck
store’s all closed
I want to strike a pose
pose too cute
I want to go on mute
mute too long
I want to sing a song
voice too bad
I want to start a fad
fads too red
I want to go to bed
beds not made
I want some lemonade
lemonade’s too sour
we have the power
to close out eyes
and count to ten
whoever messes up
starts all over again
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
we didn’t mess up
so thats the end!"
-
Emily Kassie ,  https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, June 25, 2008
-snip-
mamalisa.com's blog page has A LOT of examples of "Oo Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie"/"Take A Peach Take A Plum"  rhymes. A number of those examples begin with the "Winston Taste Good" jingle or an adaptation of that jingle. A few more examples from that page are included in this pancocojams compilation.

**
3. "This is what I remember from when i was a child. (with hand movements)


Snickers is good,
just like a candy bar should be
with a
umm ahh,
Wanna piece of pie
pie to sweet
wanna piece of meat
meat to rough
gotta ride the bus
bus to full
gotta rid a bull
bull to fast
want my money back
money to green
want a jelly bean
bean to red,
gotta go to bed
bed to soft
throw the pillow off
now close your eyes and
count to ten
if you mess up, try again
1

2

3…."
-Pat, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, July 20th, 2008 

**
4. "Winstin smells good just like a coke-a-nut just like a ooh ahh

i wanna piece of pie, too sweet i wanna piece of meat, meat too tough i wanna ride a bus, bus too full i wanna ride a bull bull too black i want my money back money back too free i want a maple-tree maple tree too green i wanna a jellybean jellybean not cooked i wanna read a book book not read i wanna go to bed bed not made i wanna a lemonaid lemonaid too sour i wanna take a shower shower too cool i wanna go to school let’s get the power to count to ten and the loser has to start all over again 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10"
-Cucci. https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, December 7th, 2009

**
5. "This is the version I learned a few years ago.

Winston smells good just like a,
cigarette just like a,
ooh ah,
I wanna piece o’ pie,
pie too sweet I wanna piece o’ meat,
Meat too tough, I wanna ride a bus,
Bus too full, I wanna ride a bull,
Bull too black, I want my money back,
Money back not free, I wanna jellybean
Jellybean not cooked, I wanna read a book
Book too read, I wanna go to bed
Bed not made, I want some lemonade,
lemonade too sour, we’ve got the power,
close your eyes and count to ten,
whoever messes up starts it all over again
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.

The way I learned it was with hand movements too, after you go through it once, you start over but also jumping up and down. The third time, you do it jogging on the spot.
-emily, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, Jan. 24, 2010

**
6. "Winston so sweet just like a coconut, just like a ooh ahh I wanna peice of pie, pie too sweet! I wanna peice of meat, meat too tough I wanna ride a bus, bus too full I wanna buy a bull, bull not black I want my money back, money not green, I want some jelly beans, jelly beans not cooked I wanna read a book, book is read I wanna go to bed bed not made I went some lemonade, lemonade too sour now we got the power to count to ten, whomever messes up has to start again, so 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 no one messed up so I guess this is the end!"
-Kiara Marie, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, June 3rd, 2012 

**
7. "Winston smells good just like a chocolate chip just like a…
Oo ah i want a piece of pie
pie to sweet
i want a piece of meat
meat to tough
i want to ride a bus
bus to full a want to ride a bull
bull to black
i want my money back
money not back i want to take a nap
bed not made
i want some lemon aid
lemon aid to sour
i want to take a shower
shower not clean
i want a jelly bean
jelly bean not cooked
i want to read a book
book to boring
now i’m mad
close my eyes and count to ten
who ever stops is a buffle head!
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10"
-Cameryn, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/,June 25th, 2012 

**
8. "Winston smells sweet just like a

Can of Coca-Cola

Ooh, ah, I want a piece of pie

Pie too sweet I want a piece of meat

Meat too tough, I want to ride a bus

Bus too full, I want to ride a bull

Bull too black, I want my money back

Money back too cheap, I want a jellybean

Jellybean not cooked, I want to read a book

Book not read, I want to go to bed

Bed not made, I want some lemonade

Lemonade too sour, but we’ve got the power

So let’s close our eyes and count to ten,

Whoever messes up starts all over again

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

We didn’t mess up, so that’s the end"
-Michelle,  https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, September 15th, 2012 

**
9. "
Winston smells good just like a coconut just like a ooh a i wanna piece of pie,pie to sweet i wanna piece of meat,meat not cooked i wanna read a book,book not read i wanna go to bed,bed not made i want some lemonade,lemonade to sour stay up for an hour,thats all i know."
-Yolo, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/ May 1, 2013

**
10. "My friends told me.


Winston smells good just like a

coconut just like a ooh ahh

I want a piece of pie

pie to sweet I want a piece of meat

meat to rough I want to ride a bus

bus too full I want to ride a bull

bull not black I want my money back

money back to green I want a jelly bean

jelly bean not cooked i want to read a book

book not read i want to go to bed

bed not made i want some lemonade

lemonade to sour i want to take a shower

shower to cool i want to go to school

school to dumb i want to suck my thumb

thumb to dirty i want to ride a birdie

birdie to slow and thats all i know so close your eyes and count to 10

who ever messes up starts all over again.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

 

(If some one messes up)
Someone messed up so we need to start again

(If no one messes up)

No one messed up so thats the end

we do not need to sing this game again!
-Alex, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/ , May 30th, 2015 

**
11. "Winston smells good just like a. Coconut just like a

ohh ahh I wanna piece of pie pie too sweet I wanna piece of meat

meat too tough I wanna ride a bus

Bus too full I wanna ride a bull

bull to black I want my money back money back to green I wanna jellybean

Jellybean not cooked I wanna a read a book

book already read I wanna go to bed

bed not made I want some lemonade

lemonade too sour I wanna take a shower

shower too cool I wanna go to school

School not awesome I wanna ride a possum

Possum too slow but that’s all we now so we close our eyes and count to ten

Whoever messes up has to start again so

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

We didn’t mess up so that’s the end
-Angel, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, May 21, 2015

**
12. 
"The version I remember is sung to the old Winston cigarette jingle.

Winston taste good like. A cigarette should . Winston taste. Like ahh I want a. A piece of Pie. Pie too sweet. Want a piece of . meat. meat too tough. Want to ride the bus. . bus too full. Want to ride a bull. Bull too black Want to go back to my old Cadillac. Bonk Bonk.


We sang this along with clapping like patty cake. And I learned this version sometime between 1971 & 1973, when I was in the 5th and 6th grade."

-Sandra, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/July 25th, 2018 

**
13. "I learned:

Winston tastes good just like a piece of pie

just like a ohh ahh I wanna piece of pie

pie to sweet, I wanna piece of meat

meat to tough, I wanna ride a bus

bus too full, I wanna ride a bull

bull not black, want my money back

money not green, I wanna a jelly bean

jellybean not cooked, I wanna read a book

book not read, I wanna go to bed

bed not made, I want some lemonade

lemonade too sour, we’ve got the power to count to ten

who ever messes up starts over again

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

we didn’t mess up so thats the end
-Kat, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, March 19th, 2018

 **
14. 
"Learned this in 6th grade inner city NYC school. 1967. It was performed as a Black Rap. OO i wanna piece of pie, pie too sweet, wanna piece of meat, meat too tough wanna ride a bus, bus too full wanna ride a bull, bull too black want my money back, Winston tastes bad like the one i just had no filter no taste just a god da-n* .40 cent waste."

-MATTHEW MESHEKOFF, https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-%E2%80%9Cwant-to-read-a-book-book-done-read/, July 18th, 2019 

-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this example. 

**
15. "
I learned it at summer camp as a clapping game:

Winston tastes good just like a cigarette should

Just like an - ooh, ah, I want a piece of pie

Pie too sweet, I want a piece of meat

Meat too brown, I want to go to town

Town too far, I'll have to take a car

Car too black, I want my money back

Money too green, I want a limosine

..... I want some lemonade

Lemonade too sour, by now we have the power

To close our eyes and count to ten

Whoever messes up has to do it again.

And at this point, the clapping pattern got more complicated and the players closed their eyes and counted to ten.

-Guest, Chocolate Pi; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926 "Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie", October 10, 2000

**
16. "
Snickers they taste just like a, candy bar just like a.

Ohh Ahh I wan't some pie,

pie to sweet I want a piece of meat,

meat to tough I want to ride the bus,

bus too full I want to ride a bull,

bull to flat I want my money back,

Money back 2 3 I want a jelly bean,

Jelly bean to red I want to go to bed,

bed no made I want a cream egg,

This is how I count to ten,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Start again.
-GUEST,Lalala, http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&desc=yes : RE: Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie, 06, Jul, [20]11

**
17. "
I learned it like this...

Winston tastes good just like a

Cigarette just like a

Ooo ah I wanna piece of pie

Pie to sweet I wanna piece of meat

Meat to tough I wanna ride a bus

Bus to full I wanna ride a bull

Bull not black I want my money back

Money back to green I wanna jelly bean

Jelly bean not cooked I wanna read a book

Book not read I wanna go to bed

Bed not made I want some lemonade

Lemonade to sour I wanna take a shower

Shower to cold I wanna piece of gold

Gold to shiny I wanna kiss a heinie

Heinie too dirty I wanna count to thirty

Thirty too high I wanna say goodbye

Goodbye too sad I wanna call my dad

Dad too tall I wanna go to the mall

Mall not cheap I wanna say beep beep

Close your eyes

Count to ten

Whoever messes up starts all over again so

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

We didn't mess up so that's the end"
-Guest, http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&desc=yes : RE: Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie, 05 Aug  [20] 17 

**
18. "Winston tastes good just like a cigarette should

ou ah I want a piece of pie

pie too sweet

I want a piece of meat

meat too rough

I wanna ride a bus

bus too full

I wanna. Ride a bull

bull to black

I want my money back

money back too green

I want a jelly bean

jelly bean too red

I wanna go to bed

bed not made

I want some lemonade

lemonade too sour

I wanna take a shower

shower too cool

I wanna go to school

schools too dumb

I wanna sck my thumb

thumb too dirty I wanna ride a biddy

birdy too slow

and that's all I know

so close you're eyes

count to ten

if you mess up start all over again

(count to ten)"
 GUEST,Anonomyums. http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&desc=yes : RE: Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie, 26 Sept,[20]10

**
19. "Winston stays good just like a, candy should, just like a

Oooh Ahh

Want a piece of pie

pie too sweet

want a piece of meat

meat too tough

want to ride the bus

bus too full

want to ride a bull

bull too fat

want my money back

money back

money too green

want a jelly bean

jelly bean too red

want to go to bed

bed not made

want some lemonade

lemonade too sour

want to take a shower

shower too cool

want to go to school

school to dumb

want to suck my thumb

suck my thumb

suck my thumb
-Guest, http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926&desc=yes : RE: Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie, 20 Oct. [20] 11

 **
20. "
You changed the words! It’s actually: Windson smells good just like a, coconut just like a. Ooh ahh! I want a piece of pie, pie too sweet I want a piece of meat. Meat to tuff I want to ride a bus. Bus too full I want to ride a bull. Bull to fat I want my money back. Money back too green I want a jellybean. Jellybean to sour I want to take a shower. Shower too cool I want to go to school. School too dumb I want to lick me thumb. Thumb too dirty I want to ride a birdy. Birdy to slow and that’s all I know so close your eyes and count to ten, whoever messes up has to start again! “ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10”. We didn’t mess up so that’s the end! You changed up a few words in their and made a new version."
-PB - 08CR 728122 Alloa PS,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP2WtPXTV7A&ab_channel=JanetAtkinson. Winston One Stand Hand Game, [comment, 2018]

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Fats Waller - Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece Of Pie (sound file, lyrics, & information)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases Fats Waller's 1938-1940 Jazz record "Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie". 

Special attention is given in this post to the vocal technique "eephing" that is referenced in the title of this song.

The Addendum to this post showcases a bonus sound file of King Coleman's "The Boo Boo Song" [1967] along with a transcription of a portion of that record that features a version of the "Eep Ipe I Wanna Piece Of Pie" rhyme.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Fats Waller for his musical legacy. Thanks also to King Coleman for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these sound files on YouTube.

Special thanks to Jim Dixon from Mudcat' folk music forum for sharing information about eephing and for transcribing this Fats Waller song.

****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie

Fats Waller - Topic Published on Aug 23, 2015

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

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.

****
COMMENTS AND LYRICS
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=119521
Subject: Lyr Add: EEP, IPE, WANNA PIECE OF PIE (Fats Waller
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Mar 09 - 06:12 PM

"This is the song that I was reminded of when reading the thread Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie*, and which in turn inspired me to start this thread about eephing.

This is my transcription from Fats Waller and His Rhythm, on the 78-rpm record MIGHTY FINE (Razaf, Waller) b/w EEP, IPE, WANNA PIECE OF PIE (Blaine, Dann), Bluebird 10744, 1940:


EEP, IPE, WANNA PIECE OF PIE
By Jerry Blaine and Artie Dann (some sources add: Nick Catamas)
J. R. LaFleur & Son Ltd., 1940.

Eep*, ipe*, wanna piece of pie.
Eep*, ipe*, wanna bowl of soup.
Eep*, ipe*, let your tongue turn.
Eep*, ipe*, easy to learn.
Eep*, ipe*, clock is on the wall.
Eep*, ipe*, sounds like doubletalk.
Eep*, ipe*, ippy ippy way.
Eep*, wop*, wop*, wop*, you do it all day.

If your fire* on the copembagger* is worthwhile,
Then the fire* eeply*, op*, op* sets the style,
If you burrrowackasacki* and you hold real tight,
You need fop*, rop*, rop*, rop*, rop*, I guess'll do all right.
You pucker up your lips and then you hold real tight.
Let it go. It's bound to do all right.
Come on, children, one, two, three,
Together, come on, follow me:

Ah, eep*, ipe*, want a piece of pie?
Eep*, ipe*, want a bowl of soup?
A bowl of soup, bup*, bup*, bup*, piece of pie,
Sip*, sip*, sip*, sip*, sip*, sip*, yes, yes.

Aw, eep*, ipe*, wanna piece of pie?
Oop*, eep*, ipe*, wanna bowl of soup?
Eep*, ipe*, let your tongue turn.
Eep*, ipe*, eep*, easy to learn, yes,
Eep*, ipe*, clock is on the wall.
Eph*, eep*, yeah, sounds like doubletalk.
Yessiree.... [The recording I transcribed from breaks off at this point, but I don't think it's complete; it came from a "mix tape."]

[*Note: I have retained the spelling "Eep, ipe" because that is the spelling in the title, but that is only an approximation of how the words are pronounced. In fact, all the asterisked words are nonsense, and the spelling is approximate, and wherever I have used a "p" in them, Waller is more or less "blowing a raspberry." Even in the words that are intelligible English words, Waller frequently mumbles, slurs, or lisps in a manner that is surely intentional and quite unlike his other recordings, where his diction is normally clear as a bell.

[The line "if you burrrowackasacki* and you hold real tight" is apparently a reference to the song HOLD TIGHT (WANT SOME SEAFOOD, MAMA) made famous by the Andrews Sisters.]
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926
-snip-
*Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926 for the Mudcat thread on the children's rhyme "Oh my, I want a piece of pie" that Jim Dixon mentioned in the beginning of his comment.

Some examples of that children's rhyme contain the eephing vocalizations that are found in Fats Waller's "Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie" song. I believe that the standard beginning verse for another widely known children's rhyme "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" also was heavily influenced by this Fat Waller song.

Visit these three pancocojams posts for examples of the above mentioned rhymes:
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/abc-its-easy-as-1-2-3-playground-rhyme.html
"ABC It's Easy As 1, 2, 3" Playground Rhyme & Its R&B Record Source

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/aunt-maria-jumped-in-fire-there-was-man.html (for information about the Fats Waller song and for other examples of "ABC It's Easy As One Two Three")

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/song-sources-for-down-by-banks-of-hanky.html Song Sources For Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VOCAL TECHNIQUE OF EEPHING
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=119521
Eephing (type of vocal technique or 'mouth music')

Subject: Eephing
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Mar 09 - 02:00 PM

"Eephing is an old-time country style of vocal percussion somewhat similar to the recent "beatboxing" performed by hip-hop artists.

It is sometimes spelled eaphing, eefing, or eafing, but it is not related to effing or F'ing, a euphemism for f**king.

I call it percussion only because it sounds like percussion—it is much more rhythmic than melodic. It doesn't literally involve hitting anything, but it is often accompanied by truly percussive techniques like hamboning....

**
Subject: RE: Eephing (type of vocal technique or 'mouth music')
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 08:12 AM

"From Dictionary of American Regional English by Frederic Gomes Cassidy and Joan Houston Hall (Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1985): https://books.google.com/books?id=vAr2T4Bh7nkC&pg=PA275

Eephing vbl n [Echoic] Cf hoodling, whoop B
Creating wordless vocal music made up of nonsense syllables and percussive sounds; also n eaf such music.
1971 in 1978 I'm on My Journey Home (Phonodisc) wTN, [My maternal uncle] called it hoodlin'; they call it eephin' now. He [=the uncle] got it from somebody at a dance up at Dyersburg, Tennessee. 1978 Wolfe I'm on My Journey Home 2/1, [Liner notes:] Eephing (or hoodling) is one of a number of vocal-percussive effects still found in the mid-South....[It can be]...created by tickling...[the] throat...altering...[the] mouth cavity...tapping the cheeks....It has been reported in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi....Eephing has also been found among Afro-Americans. It is customarily performed informally in relaxed social situations. 1978 Dance Shuckin' & Jivin' 323 VA [Black], Have you ever heard this thing called "The Eaf"? Ee-poop-se-de-da-pa-de-da....Well, Bill Robinson [1878-1949, also known as "Mr. Bojangles"] and I used to go around and say that thing [=a long rhyme]...And then we start singing, "Ee-doop, se-da-da-pa-de-da-pa-pop!""

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ADDENDUM: KING COLEMAN - THE BOO BOO SONG

King Coleman The Boo Boo Song [1967]



nightimelady, Uploaded on Nov 2, 2009

Hang on to your wigs its dance time!

If you like this then buy the album, in fact buy everything this guy did, hes amazing! :D

this can be found on the "king Coleman - It's Dance Time" compilation on Norton Records.
-snip-
Here's an excerpt from a review of this record:
http://funky16corners.blogspot.com/2006/04/king-coleman-boo-boo-song-pt1.html King Coleman - The Boo Boo Song Pt1
April 28, 2006, by Larry Grogan
...."you reach into the box and pull out something called ‘The Boo Boo Song Pts 1&2’ by a cat calling himself King Coleman. Though you are unfamiliar with the artist, you decide to give it a spin anyway, knowing that despite the suspect title, anything is possible. You unsleeve the record, place it on the turntable and absentmindedly apply needle to wax. The next few second are a blur. All you can remember is that following seemingly innocent opening, female singers chanting;
A hunting we will go A hunting we will go We will catch that fox and put him in a box And will not let him go! You momentarily figure you have a childrens record on your hands. And then, something happens that causes you to spit out your coffee and jump from your chair like your pants were on fire. There, booming out of the speakers is something that sounds like a bug-eyed madman on a caffeine bender.
Boo bo boo bo boo boo boo bo bo bo bo Bay bay buh baybay bay buh buh bay bay Bo bo bo bo bo bo bo (etc etc...)*

...[In] the late 60’s, Carlton ‘King’ Coleman laid down some of the butt-shakingest, eye-rollingest, high-stepping soul and funk 45s to ever roll down the pike. Every last one of them** is a guaranteed party starter. ‘The Boo Boo Song Pts 1&2’ is possibly the finest of them all, because it manages to rope in (barely) his explosive vocalizing, pairing it with some booming drums, blaring horns and organ, all of which make it a storming slice of soul evangelism – guaran-freaking-teed to peel off the wallflowers and send those already dancing into a sweaty trance. If you haven’t done so already, I would suggest most vociferously that when you play this track, you loosen your tie, turn the volume way up and let it wail. I would also recommend that if you have any small kids around, you play it for them too. I played it for my two-year old son, and he thought it was a hoot. Thankfully, of you’re not the type to go digging for 45s, the always brilliant folks at Norton Records have assemble the King’s best into a single compilation (see link below).

* Yeah, I know that isn't an exact transcription, but if you think I'm going to spend a half an hour, restarting the song 50 times so I can accurately count all the BOBO's and BAYBAY's, you my friend have another think coming"...
-snip-
[additional lyrics for that song at 1:57* [transcribed by Azizi Powell from that recording]

Eee eye I wanna a piece of pie
[female singers echo each line]
Pie too sweet, I wanna a piece of meat
The meat too tough I wanna ride a bus
The bus too full I wanna ride a bull
The bull won’t play, he had this to say
He said “ooh ahh ahh ooh aah ahh ooh aah ahh ooh ooh ooh
Come on baby, come on baby, show your daddy what you can do"...
-snip-
Thanks to GUEST,Fine Wine (2012) for referring to this video in the Mudcat thread Lyr Req: Oh my, I want a piece of pie http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=26926

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Sunday, December 15, 2013

"Eeny Meenie Sisaleenie" Rhymes That Include The "Saw You With Your Boyfriend" Verse (Analysis & Examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision- April 18, 2023

This pancocojams post features examples of the playground rhyme that begins with the "eenie meenie sisaleenie" (or similar spelling) verse and also includes the "saw you with your boyfriend" verse. Text analysis and other comments about these rhymes and some other related rhymes are also included in this post.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric and recreational 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 these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. 
-snip-
DISCLAIMER
The presentation of certain rhymes and certain singing games on pancocojams isn't meant to mean or infer that all of those rhymes originally come from African American or other Black people.

However, given their structure and words (as found below), I believe that some, early examples of "Eenie Meaning Sissaleenie (Saw You With Your Boyfriend)" rhymes (and not the "Eenie Meenie Minie Mo" rhymes that are their sources) originated with African Americans.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S ANALYSIS OF "EENIE MEENIE SISALEENIE" RHYMES 
"Eenie Meenie Sissaleeni" (or similarly pronounced spelling) is a large family of playground rhymes (children's recreational rhymes) that originated in the United States. Those rhymes can be chanted as a three or four line verse without the addition of certain other rhymes. However, it appears that that rhyme's three line or four line "core verse is usually combined with certain other rhymes. Read the section below. 

"Eenie Meenia Sissaleeni" is an extension of the earlier "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" children's rhymes that are used for counting out (choosing it).

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeny,_meeny,_miny,_moe ,
the earliest "Eenie Meenie Miny Mo" rhyme is documented from children in New York City in 1815.  That Wikipedia page indicates that "Variations of this rhyme with the nonsense/counting first line have been collected since the 1820s. This one, which includes the 'toe' and 'olla' from Kipling's version, is one of many variants of "counting out rhymes" collected by Bolton in 1888:[7]

Eenie, Meenie, Tipsy, toe;

Olla bolla Domino,

Okka, Pokka dominocha,

Hy! Pon! Tush!"...

**
THE CORE VERSE: THREE LINE STRUCTURE OF EENIE MEENIE SISALEENIE (SAW YOU WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND" RHYME
Some versions of "Eenie Meenie Sissaleeni" (or similar words) have a three line structure
such as: 
Eenie Meanie Justa Leanie
Ooca lacka Trackalacka
I love you.

In those examples, the first line contains an internal rhyme based on the "eenie" syllable, and the second line contains an internal rhyme based on the "acka" syllable.

**
SOME CORE VERSES FOR "EENIE MEENIE SISALEENIE" RHYMES
I categorize the three line or four line verses given above as the "core verses" for "Eenie Meenie Sisaleenie". Those verses recited after the core rhyme flow into each other without any transitioning words or phrases.

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CORE VERSE: FOUR LINE STRUCTURE 
I chanted a four line version of this rhyme while doing a partner hand clap routine (Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1950s). We sang: 

Eenie meenie epsodeenie
Ooh aah umbaleenie
Ashie mashie kohkah lashie
I_ love_ you 

[The dashes represent one pause in the beat.]

In the four line "eenie meenie sissalini" verse, the first line contains an internal rhyme made from the the "eenie" syllable.

The last word of the second line also ends with the "eenie" sound and thus rhymes with the first line.

The third line contains an internal rhyme made by the "ie" (pronounced "ee") syllable, and thus rhymes with the first and second lines.

The fourth line is the only one that does not have an internal or end word rhyme.
 -snip-
Here's a four line version of this rhyme from the early 2000s:

Eenie meanie sassaleeny. 
Oops ah tumbalini.
Achi achi liberace. 
I love you.

**   
Since at least the 1970s, it appears that some examples of "Eenie Meenie Sissaleeni" rhymes begin with the four line "eenie meenie sissaleeni" verse and repeat that same verse at the end of the rhyme. 

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ANALYSIS OF SOME WORDS THAT ARE FOUND IN THESE RHYMES 
The words "eenie meenie" undoubtedly have their source in the very old European counting out rhyme "Eeny meenie minie mo". Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeny,_meeny,_miny,_moe for information about that rhyme. 

**
The word "sisaleenie" or similarly pronounced words is a made-up rhyming word with no meaning.

**
I believe that the word "liberace" (also found as "Liberachi", "Liborachi" or similar spellings) is a newer substition for made-up rhyming phonetic phrases such as "kohkah lashie" which have no meaning. "Liberace" (also written as "Liberachi") has its origins in the last name of the flamboyant American pianist/vocalist known by his last name "Liberace" (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberace. However, I doubt that most people who've recited that rhyme are aware of that informational tidbit.

**
To date, I've only collected one example of "saw you with.your girlfriend" that replaces the word "boyfriend" e.g. "caught you with your girlfriend". 

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SAW YOU WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND
"Saw You With Your Boyfriend" verses are a series of non-rhyming lines that are each followed by a two word or one word response to that particular line - for instance "looked through the key hole/nosy nosy" (or "nosy"). My guess is that the two word response is the earliest version of the responding line as it appears to me to be the more rhythmic than the single word. However, that is just a guess. In some contemporary versions of this rhyme "looked through the key hole" and "looked through the peep hole" has been changed to "looked through the window".

Other independent rhymes (such as verses of the "Down Down Baby" rhymes) may be combined with "eenie meenie sissaleeni" without the "saw you with your boyfriend" lines. Or other independent rhyme*s might be combined with the core verse and be placed before or after those "saw you with your boyfriend" lines.
-snip-
*I refer to "saw you with your boyfriend" as a rhyme that can be chanted by itself (i.e. an independent rhyme, or a stand alone rhyme). However, to date (Oct. 2020) I've only come across this rhyme in combination with certain other rhymes". Read the Addendum below for two examples of "saw you with your boyfriend" verses in other rhymes.  

Examples of  those rhymes are given later in this post.
  
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TUNE 
To date, I've heard two different tunes for "Eeny Meenie Sisaleenie" rhymes. I believe that the most common tune in the United States is the one used in video example given as example #1 and example #2 below. That is the tune that I used when I chanted this rhyme in the 1950s.

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HOW "EENIE MEENIE SISALEENIE" RHYMES AE PERFORMED
As is the case with most playground rhymes in the United States, "Eeny Meenie Sisaleenie" rhymes were originally chanted while jumping rope. However, since at least the 1970s, they are usually chanted as a partner hand clap game. And, as it appears to often be the case with many hand clap rhymes in the United States, those rhymes are also performed with actions which mimic the words that are chanted.

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VIDEO EXAMPLES WITH TRANSCRIPTIONS
[I made these transcriptions after listening to their videos. Additions and corrections are welcome.]

Video Example #1: Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny Clapping Songs



sharonmnich, Uploaded on Oct 2, 2009

Kids Clapping Songs
-snip-
Transcription:

Eenie meanie sassaleeny.
Oops ah tumbalini.
Achi achi liberace.
I love you.
Take a peach.
Take a plum.
Take a stick of bubble gum.
No peach.
No plum.
No stick of bubble gum.
Saw you with my boyfriend
last night.
How'd you know.
Peekin through the peep hole*
Nosy
Ate a lot of candy
Greedy
Didn't do the dishes
Lazy
Jumped out the window
Doggone crazy
And that's why they call you.
Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny,
Ooh ah babalini,
Achi atchi Liberace,
I love you.
-snip-
*One of the girls seemed to start to chant "looked out" instead of "peeped through".

Additional examples of this rhyme are found in the viewer comment section of this video.

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Video Example #2: Eenie meenie sissalini



Miamichellekaraoke, Published on May 19, 2012

Mia and Michelle demonstrate their new hand game
-snip-
Transcription: Rhyme begins at .021

Ready. Go.

Eenie meanie sassaleeny,
Ooh ah babalini,
Achi cachi Liberace,
I love you,
Take a peach,
Take a plum,
Take a stick of bubble gum,
No peach
No plum
Just a stick of bubble gum
Saw you with my boyfriend
last night
How'd you know
I looked through my window
Nosy
Ate a lot of cookies
Greedy
Didn’t flush the toilet
Nasty
Didn't do the dishes
Lazy
And that's why they call you.
Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny,
Oops ah tumbalini.
Achi cachi Liberace,
I love you.
Oops ah tumbalini,
Achi cachi Liberace,
I love you!

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Video Example #3: eenie mini dissemini fun and easy clapping games!



Mitzi Brennan, Published on Apr 28, 2013
-snip-

Transcription:
Eenie mini dissemini
You are the one and only
Education
Liberation
I like you.
Downtown baby
Down by the roller coaster
Sweet sweet cherry
No place to go
Didn’t do the dishes
Lazy lazy
Stole a box of chocolates
Greedy greedy
Snogged your boyfriend
Naughty naughty
Jumped out the window
Flippin crazy
Eenie mini dissemini
You are the one and only
Education
Liberation
I like you.
-snip-
"Italics" mean that I'm not sure of this word.

From the girls' accents, I assumed that this example of "Eenie Meanie" is from outside of the United States.

[Update: December 16, 2013: I corrected the words that I was uncertain about as per a comment from that video uploader Mitzi Brennan, who thanked me for featuring her video. Mitzi confirmed that she lives in England.]

"Education liberation", "downtown baby", "down by the rollercoaster" etc. are phrases that either come from or are folk etymology forms of phrases that are found in some versions of the playground rhyme "Down Down Baby". For example, "downtown baby” is folk etymology for "down down baby" and "Sweet sweet cherry/No place to go" is a folk etymology form of "sweet sweet baby/I really love you so".

Similar examples of "Eeny Meenie Sisaleenie" that include phrases from "Down Down Baby" are found in the viewer comments threads for the video given as Example #1 in this post.

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OTHER TEXT EXAMPLES
Example #1
Eenie Meanie Justa Leanie
Ooca lakca Trackalacka, I love you.
Take a peach, Take a plum
Take a piece of bubble gum.
Teacher, Teacher, Dummy Dum
Gimme back my bubble gum.
Saw you with your boyfriend last night.
How do you know?
I was peekin' through the keyhold.
NOSY
Wash them dishes
LAZY
Jump out the window
CRAZY
Peaches on the tree, Bananas on the floor
Jump back baby. I Don't Love You No More!
-Donetta A. (Pittsburgh, PA 1984); collected by Azizi Powell,
1998; posted on Cocojams by Azizi on 2/26/2006
-snip-
Donetta A (African American woman) responded to a voluntary written survey of playground rhymes that I conducted at my former work place. Donetta said she learned this rhyme when she was growing up from her cousin who visited her from the South. She indicated that she performed it as a partner hand clap game.

The line "peaches on the tree, bananas' on the floor" reminds me of the "apples on the shelf /I'm so tired of living by myself" verse that is found in in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes Wise And Otherwise.* Versions of that line are found in other African American playground rhymes, Blues songs, and other compositions along with the line "I've seen the line "Jump back, baby I don't love you no more" or similar lines such as "Step back, baby/I don't love you no more".

*This is the last verse of the rhyme entitled "Mama's Darling" (p. 188) http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm
"I has apples on de table,
An' I has peaches on de shelf;
But I wish I had a husband—
I'se so tired stayin' to myself."

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Example #2:
Eenie meenie sicileenie ooh ahh combaleenie ochie cochie liverochi C-O-D
Take a peach, take a plum, take a stick of bubblegum
No peach, no plum, just a stick of bubblegum
Saw you with your boyfriend last night
How'd you know?
Peeked through the peek hole
Noisy
Didn't do the dishes
Lazy
Ate a box of candy
Greedy
Jumped out the window
Now I know you're really crazy, thats why we call you
Eenie meenie sicileenie ooh ahh combaleenie ochi cochi liverochi C-O-D
Source:
Me and my friends used to love this!
-qwerty, http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080126135642AA0Q3LB "Hand clap game.. What are the words?", 2007
-snip-
Asker's rating [the highest rating 5 stars] & comment
"Haha so did we! i was trying to think of it the other day and i couldnt. Thanks!
-ashley jonasss; (asked 2007).o

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Example #3:
Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny,
Opps ah tumbalini,
Achi cachi Liberace,
I love you,
Take a peach,
Take a plum,
Take a stick of bubble gum,
No peach
No plumb
No stick of bubble gum
Saw you with your boyfriend
last night
How'd you know
I was peaking through the key hole
Nosy
Didn't do the dishes
Lazy
Stole a box of candy
Greedy
Jumped out the window
Dog on crazy*
That's why they call me...
Eenie Meanie Sassaleeny,
Opps ah tumbalini,
Achi cachi Liberace,
I love you!
- http://funclapping.com/Eenie.php

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Example #4
eenie meenie sissaleney
o a tumbaline
achie gachif temberachi
i love you
take a peach
take a plum
take a sitck of bubble gum
no peach no plum
just a stick a bubble gum
saw you with your boyfreind last night
you werea huggin anda kissin
anda holdin on tight
how do i know
LOOK THROUGH THE WINDOW
NOSEY
ATE ALL YA COOKIES
GREEDY
DIDNT DO THE DISHES
LAZY THATS WY DEY CALL ME
eenie meenie sissaleney
o a tumberlinie
achie gachie liverachie
i love you
-jazz09932, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C2cBh_NZNU, 2012
-snip-
This version of "Eeny Meenie Sisaleenie" is found in the comment thread for this video. I reformatted this example from its paragraph form (a form that seems to be the default for YouTube.com) to lined poetry form. However, I left the capitalizations that the blogger wrote "as is". I think those words were capitalized to serve as a "correction" for the words to the rhyme that were chanted in the video. Btw, I also believe that the tempo in that video is slower than the tempo that I've usually found for this rhyme.

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ADDENDUM - TWO EXAMPLES OF "SAW YOU WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND" VERSE WITHOUT THE "EENIE MEANIE SISALEENI" VERSE

Example #1:
A.B.C.
It’s easy as 1.2.3.
My momma takes care of me.
My father don’t yell at me.

Caught you with your boyfriend.
Naughty, Naughty.
Didn’t do the dishes.
Lazy, Lazy.
Ate all the candy
Greedy, greedy.
Jumped out the window.
Man, you’re crazy!
- anonymous woman (White; Washington, D. C), collected by Azizi Powell,1999
-snip-
This example was collecting via a voluntary written survey that I conducted at my former workplace. As per my directions, the woman indicated the geographical location where she performed this rhyme. She wrote that she learned it when she was a child living in a "mostly Black neighborhood". She also wrote that she performed it as a hand clap game.

"ABC it's easy as 1, 2, 3" is lifted from the Jackson Five R&B song "ABC". That song could help to date the earliest examples of rhymes with that introductory verse.

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Example #2
Ziz Zag zag
take a piece take a plum
take a piece of bubble gum
do you like it?
do you love it?
do the alabama shake it
shake it up
shake it down
shake it all around
Spying on my boy friend - baby
didn't do the dishes - lazy
jumped out the window - crazy
and thats the facts of boys boys boys
- Miranda R, http://octopuses.chaoticinsanity.com (also given as "Octoblog- "Schoolyard games"), December 5, 2004. [This website is no longer available].

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