2009 Grand March Video Of Various African American Church Usher Boards & Nurses Guilds (with my transcription Of The Master Of Ceremony's Comments About The Marchers)

 

MCHCA Ushers & Nurses Grand March

Mount Calvary Holy Church Inc, Aug 19, 2009

This is the annual International Nurses & Ushers Convention Grand March. This year's event took place at the International Headquarters of Mount Calvary Holy Church of America Inc. Washington D.C. on April 3, 2009

 Music - Take It Back (Radio Edit)

Dorinda Clark-Cole

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a 2009 YouTube video of the Grand March of usher boards and  nurses boards from various African American Pentecostal churches.

This post presents my transcription of the comments about the marches that were made by that event's Master of Ceremony. Unfortunately, that Master of Ceremony's name isn't documented in this video's summary.

This post also presents information about the Pentecostal organization that hosted the event that is the subject of this video.  In addition, this post provides general information about African American church Grand Marches.

The Addendum to this post showcases a 2015 YouTube video of a Grand March of an African American Baptist church's Usher Board.. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, religious, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all who are featured in this video. Thanks to the un-named Master of Ceremony for this event. Thanks also to the videographers of this video and thanks to the publishers of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This video is also showcased in a 2011 post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/marching-for-jesus-church-ushers-nurses.html that is part of a four part series on Black church processions. 

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/04/videos-of-old-school-ways-that-african.html for a closely related pancocojams post entitled "Eight Videos Of African American Church Ushers Perform Grand Marches & Some Comments About Why This Custom Is Done"

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INFORMATION ABOUT MOUNT CALVARY HOLY CHURCH OF AMERICA INC. (MCHCA) 
From https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/group-profiles/groups?D=991
"Mount Calvary Holy Church in America (1929 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Pentecostal

Religious Tradition: Black Protestant

Description: The Mount Calvary Holy Church in America was founded in 1929 by Bishop Brumfield Johnson in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Previously, Johnson was a pastor of the United Holy Church of America in Summit, New Jersey. After establishing the new church in North Carolina, Johnson continued to grow the church in other states, including New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Today, the church has a presence in 17 states and 12 countries."*...

**
from https://www.mchca.org/"

*[located in] "17 States

WITHIN THE U.S.

(California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas)"

[located in "12 Countries

WITHIN THE WORLD.

(Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad, Uganda, United Kingdom, and United States)"

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCHES GRAND MARCHES ("WALK AROUNDS")
In the context of African American churches, "The Grand March" is a procession in which one or more church ministries such as the Usher Board or the Nurses Guild march down the aisles of the church's  sanctuary or the convention's auditorium during that ministry's anniversary or during that ministry or those ministries' convention.

I refer to church Grand Marches as "march arounds" because the marchers usually encircle the sanctuary several times. 

Based on the YouTube videos that I've watched, it appears that African American churches'  Grand Marches are usually performed as part of the offering (collection) time for the usher's anniversary or during their conventions.

Grand Marches ("march arounds") shouldn't be confused with "march ins" when the marchers enter the sanctuary or the convention auditorium or some other large room for the beginning of Sunday church service (particularly in the case of the choir/s) or when the marchers enter the sanctuary or another room at the beginning of their anniversary program.

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MASTER OF CEREMONY'S COMMENTS & SHOUT OUTS IN THIS SHOWCASE VIDEO

[With the exception of my explanatory comments that are given in bracket, all of these words are from the un-named Master of Ceremony (MC) who is heard in this showcase video

Notice that although Mount Calvary Holy Church in America is Pentecostal, at least one of the usher boards or nurses guilds that are part of this Grand March is from a Baptist church.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Uk-VXGBB9Q

The Master of Ceremony's comments that I transcribe begin around .25 -“Whoo!”

.30- “Ah Dip it. Dip it. Dip it” [In recognition of the nurses marching making a dipping motion.]

.44- “Ah. Yeah yeah yeah yeah.”

.55-“Now this how you do it. Come on! Do it [names that church]!"

1.09-“Whoo! Whoo! That’s right!"

1:16-“Comin through. from [name of church] all the way from Miami, Florida"  

1:48 [Names a church and says] “That’s right. That’s right.”

2:07 - "Mt. Pleasant. Baptist Church!  Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church comin down the aisle."

2:12- "Alright."

2:17- "That’s right Mt. Pleasant. That’s right."

2:19-"Take your time."

2:31 - "Comin down the aisle now-Mt. Oliver Kingdom Builders Worship Center. Pastor Bishop Walter Perry" [The Master of Ceremony elongates that last name.]

 2:40 - "The ushers are comin through."

2:55 - "Aah oh. Aah oh. Aah oh". [The MC said this as a superlative exclamation in regard to the way the ushers are marching down the aisle.]

2:58- “Work this aisle out!  Work this aisle out!”3:06- “Whooo!”

3:20- “Work it out, Kingdom Builders!”

3:26- “Now look out for Mt. Calvary Holy Church! From Winston Salem. Pastor [__]!"

3:46 – “Whooo! Work it out!"

3:56- “Mt. Calvary Holy Church- Concord, North Carolina!"

4:06 –“Whooo! They got the Junior ushers walkin in too."

4:14- “Alright. They got it from down South."

4:18- "Master Love Tabernacle"

4:23 – "Alright. Alright. Alright. Alright."

4:25- It’s in the feet. It’s in the feet. It’s in the feet."

4:33- "Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church right here in Washington, D.C." [This is either the same church that marched earlier or another church with the same name but from a different city, or my transcription is at fault.] 

4:41 - "Oh, they comin from all over, all over."

4:46- "We appreciate our ushers and our nurses."

4:58 - "Still in the south .From Durham, North Carolina-Mt. Calvary Lighthouse of Faith."

5:08-“Whooo!”

5:12- “Aah-March on out and back it up.”

5:23 –“Go head girl”. [The MC spoke these words when the video shows only one person representing her church’s usher board.]

5:29- "Mt. Calvary Living Word! Mebane, North Carolina. That’s right, baby."

5:37- “Come on! Come on! Come on!”

5:41 -"The Holy Spirit is in the house. Mt. Calvary Holy Church!"

5:50 -Is there’s any other way to live? It’s The Bible Way Church right here in
Washington, D. C."

6:00 -"That’s alright Bible Way. Show us how you do it."

6:10 -"Alright, New Mt. Calvary, Baltimore, Maryland. [The MC emphasizes the word “new” and elongates the word “Maryland”.

6:17- “Whoo! Y’all got some [__] in the house."

6:23- “That’s right, baby. That’s right baby. March your body.”

6:38- “Whooo! I LOOOVE this part of the service.”

6:47- "Aah oh. Backin it up. Backin it up”.

7:06- "Come on! Come on! Come on!”.

7:42- “Whooo!. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah."

7:52- "Oh yeah. Here them come."

7:56 – “That’s alright. That’s alright.”

8:00 – "They backin up down this aisle."

8:05- "They lettin you know something greater is on it’s way."

8:15- "What’s this? The drill team." [the MC says this when the video shows a nurse leading a unit of nurses. That lead woman is holding cheerleader pom poms in each hand that are a combination of mustard colored and white colored.]

8:29- "Ahhhhh, yeah."

9:11- "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Watch!"

9:23- "Whooo!

9:30 – "Oh oh". "Oh oh". Work it out!"

9:45- "Whooo!"

9:52- "Make some noise for the drill team!!"

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BONUS VIDEO -The Usher March



B. Tirrell, Mar 26, 2015

73rd Annual Usher Day at Second Baptist Monrovia, CA.   I do not know who the artist is of the song and own no rights to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9AEXo6eSro&t=334s
-snip-
Unlike most church usher marches that I've come across online, the one in this video doesn't appear to be associated with the church offering (collection).
  
Notice how the marchers make sharp corner cuts as the move from the front of the center line to the right or the left aisle. I've seen this custom of "cutting corners" in a number of African American church Grand March videos.
 
Also, notice the ushers move to the "left/right" directions that are lifted from military cadences.

Contrast that with the comments that the Master Of Ceremony made in the other video in this pancocojams post.
 
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Visitor comments are welcome.

Two Videos Of New Jersey Church Choir March Arounds & A Description Of That Church Custom That I Observed in New Jersey In 2019

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is a complete reprint of Part III of a three part 2019 pancocojams series about Black church choir "march arounds" during the church service. That post is still available on this blog and has no comments as of August 25, 2026, the date this post is being published.

This post showcases two videos of what I refer to as "march arounds" by the choir of First United Tabernacle International Ministries' (Orange, New Jersey).

Selected comments from the discussion threads of these two videos are also included in this post. (Note that a commenter in one of those discussion threads identified the pastor of that church is a Jamaican).

This post presents information about Jamaicans in the United States and includes a description of a church choir "march around" that I observed in Pleasantville, New Jersey (near Atlantic City) on March 10, 2019.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/03/five-videos-of-jamaican-church-choirs.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases several videos of Jamaican church choirs marching around their sanctuary during church service. Selected comments from some of the discussion threads of these videos are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/03/video-of-black-canadian-church-choir.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II provides some information about Jamaicans in Canada and showcases a video of a Black Canadian church choir marching around the sanctuary during a church service for that church's collection. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post. A number of those comments note that this "march around" style is from Jamaica.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/03/black-church-marches-processions-by.html for Part I of a pancocojams series that presents information about possible cultural influences on Black (African American) church usher, nurses, or choir processions. The links to the other posts in that series are found in that post.

I'm revisiting both of these 2019 pancocojams posts because I'm interested in exploring the influence of these processions on the single file (circular) soul line dances such as those that are showcased in this 2026 pancocojams post "Follow Me" & Four Other YouTube Videos Of African American (Soul) Line Dances That Were Choreographed For Music That Wasn't Recorded For Line Dancing (Part II)
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/08/follow-me-four-other-youtube-videos-of.html 

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DESCRIPTIONS OF WAYS CHOIRS "MARCH AROUNDS" ARE PERFORMED
1. The church choir leaves the choir stand during the offering. They "march" in a single file while singing and continue up the left hand aisle. The choir then continues singing and marching down the center aisle pass two men standing in the front who hold the offering plates. Choir members put their offering in one of the plates while they continue singing and marching back up to the choir stand.

The rest of the congregation is standing singing along with the choir throughout this entire time. Some members of the congregation clap along with the song, hold their arm up. Some choir members and some members of the congregation may show that they are touched by the spirit (get happy, go in). If this occurs with a choir member, the person in back of that choir member helps that person along so that she or he continues moving in the line during the march around.

2. All of the above applies to this way of doing "march arounds" except that after the choir moves down the center aisle, they then move down the aisle on the right hand side and then move down the center aisle. At that point they give their offering and then return to the choir stand.  

The church choir may do a march around, in part, as a way of giving their collection. (Based on some YouTube videos) it appears that some church choirs in Jamaica do march arounds apart from collections to demonstrate their praise toward God and, in so doing, increase the presence of the Holy Spirit in that worship service.

Additions and corrections to these descriptions are welcome.

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DEFINITION OF CHURCH CHOIRS "MARCH INS"
"Church march arounds" differs from "church march ins".

"March ins" - when a church choir or other church group/ministry (such as ushers or nurses) march into the church sanctuary-usually from the center aisle- to mark the beginning of the worship service or special program such as that group/s anniversary or a convention.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
In contrast to a number of videos of African American church choirs marching in to the sanctuary to begin the church service, I haven't found any YouTube videos of Jamaican church choirs doing "march ins". If you know of any links to those videos and/or if you know of this custom in Jamaica, please share that information in the comment section below. Thanks!

I also haven't found any online articles about Black church processions (marches), including Jamaican church processions, except those pancocojams blog posts that I've published. If you know of any other links to information or comments on this subject, please share them below. Also, please share your experiences with Black church processions (marches), including when and where you observed or participated in those marches. Thanks!

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Jesus He Never Failed Me Yet Paise Break



First United Tabernacle International Ministries, Published on Aug 23, 2013

(FUTIM) New Jersey 

Upper Room Conference 2013
-snip-

Here's what I think the choir and congregation are repeatedly singing:

I have a God
Who never failed me yet
I have a God
Who never failed me yet
Jesus he never failed me yet
Jesus He never failed me yet.

[Additions and corrections are welcome.]
Here are very similar lyrics to this chorus: https://gospelchoruses.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/he-never-fail-me-yet/

"He never failed me yet.
He never fail me yet
Jesus Christ never failed me yet*
And everywhere I go
I want the world to know
Jesus Christ never failed me yet.

 

* This line may be sung as:

Jesus’ blood never failed me yet

or

Jesus’ love never failed me yet"

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Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread, with number added for referencing purposes only.
1. John Blackwood, 2013
"That man sounds Jamaican... Is he?"

**
REPLY
2. Melissa Fernandez, 2018
"Yes"
-snip-
I think that's very likely that this New Jersey church was founded by Jamaicans and/or that a number of people in the congregation are of Jamaican ancestry.

**
3. cclarke0786, 2013
"Praise Him saints.
The lyrics to this song are????"

**
REPLY
4. Steffi Solomon, 2013
"stumble and fall He never fail me yet, i did what i want He never fail me yet
Jesus He never failed me yet
Jesus He never failed me yet"

**
5. Crystal Chambers, 2014
"this video!!!!!!!.........Pentecostal in Worship, Apostolic in Doctrine"

**
6. ann D, 2016
"Powerful pure worship"

**
7. Gil Miller, 2016
"Bless the Lord. Is it in New Jersey or Canada? I am planning to visit there I'm from london UK."

**
REPLY
8. Rozell Vousden, 2018
"Gil Miller New Jersey"

**
REPLY
9. First United Tabernacle International Ministries, 2018
"We are located at 425 South Jefferson Street, Orange, NJ 07050"
-snip-
Orange, New Jersey is about 24 minutes by car from New York City.

**
10. IamKemi, 2016
"Can someone explain to me why they do that all the time? (choir dancing in the aisle) Is it a custom in their church?"

**
11. Ronin Williams, 2016
"I want to come to New Jersey just to go to this church"

**
12. Miss Harris, 2016
"Phenomenal ....real authentic Pentecostal Worship xx"

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Video #2: We Have An Anchor



First United Tabernacle International Ministries, Published on Nov 26, 2016

31st Pastoral Appreciation Celebration
Nov. 13, 2016

-snip-
Here's the words that are repeatedly sung by the choir and by the congregation:
"We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
-snip-
This is the refrain (chorus) to the song "Will your anchor hold in the storms of life" that was composed by Priscilla J. Owens, a White American who was born in 1829. Click https://hymnary.org/text/will_your_anchor_hold_in_the_storms_of_l  for the lyrics for this complete song. 

Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread, with number added for referencing purposes only.
HannahYael, 2018
"It’s wonderful to see people praising GOD"

**
2, WWJD ?, 2018
"Glory to God , nothing like a Holy Ghost party !"

**
3. dgreenja, 2018
"Good old time song"

**
4. Black Love, 2018
"Wonderful. ..old time way of worship"

**
5. Sylvia Hamilton, 2018
"Church like it should be! Praise God."

**
6. suebern330, 2018
"reminds me so much of Spalding New Testament New Church. Holy Ghost Pentecostal, my God I love it"
-snip-
Spalding New Testament New Church is located in Clarendon, Jamaica.

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ADDENDUM #1- SOME INFORMATION ABOUT JAMAICANS IN THE UNITED STATES
From https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Americans
"Jamaican Americans are Americans who have full or partial Jamaican ancestry. The largest proportion of Jamaican Americans live in New York City, which has various other Caribbean cultural elements such as food and music. There are also communities of Jamaican Americans residing in Philadelphia, Boston, South Florida, Tampa, Los Angeles, Orlando, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Cleveland, Western New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Significant immigration waves

Apart from Canada and England, the U.S. houses the majority of Jamaican émigrés worldwide. Jamaican immigration to the U.S. increased during the civil rights era of the 1960s. As with many other sources of Caribbean immigration, the geographical nearness of Jamaica to the U.S. increased the likelihood of migration. The economic attractiveness and general Jamaican perception of the U.S. as a land of opportunity explain continued migration flows despite economic downturn in America. Traditionally, America has experienced increased migration through means of family preference, in which U.S. citizens sponsor their immediate family. Through this category a substantial amount of Jamaican immigrants were able to enter mainly urban cities within the U.S that provided blue-collar work opportunities. Jamaican immigrants utilized employment opportunities despite the discriminatory policies that affected some Caribbean émigrés.[2]

At present, Jamaicans are the largest group of American immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. However, it is difficult to verify the exact number of Jamaican Americans in this country because most of them assimilate into the wider black community. The 1990 census placed the total number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025.

Settlement
According to the text of Immigrant America (p. 69)[clarification needed], there were 554,897 Jamaican-born people living in the U.S. in 2000. This represents 61% of the approximate 911,000 Americans of Jamaican ancestry. Many Jamaicans are second, third and descend from even older generations, as there have been Jamaicans in the U.S. as early as the early twentieth Century....Large communities of Jamaican immigrants have formed in New York City and the New York Metro Area, which includes Long Island and much of New Jersey and Connecticut, along with Florida (centered in and around the Miami, Tampa, and Orlando areas), which has the second largest Jamaican community in the U.S, and Philadelphia. In recent years, many Jamaicans have left New York City for its suburbs, and large Jamaican communities have also formed in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Los Angeles, and Providence.

[...]

U.S. metropolitan areas with largest Jamaican populations

The top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest populations of Jamaicans (Source: 2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates)[6]

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA-CT MSA – 353,770

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA – 178,791

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 55,422

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 32,754

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA – 30,469

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA – 25,732

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA – 23,861

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 20,621

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA – 13,997

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA – 13,063"....
-snip-
As an aside, while I don't have any Jamaican ancestry, my maternal grandparents were Caribbean emigrants to Southern New Jersey (Atlantic City) in the late 19th century. My grandfather was originally from Tobago and my grandmother was from Barbados.

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ADDENDUM #2: DESCRIPTION OF A BLACK CHURCH CHOIR MARCH AROUND (CHOIR COLLECTION) THAT I OBSERVED IN NEW JERSEY (MARCH 2019) 

Revision June 22, 2019 based on my visit to that church on June 9, 2019
St. Paul AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church is located in Pleasantville, New Jersey about 14 minutes from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Reverend Lynda T. Rassmann is the pastor of that church.

Latest revision Oct. 14, 2021 - to clarify some points

Description:

These choir collection marches ("march around") occurred after all those in attendance at that church -starting from the back pews- stood up and walked in single file to the front of the church for the main offering. People placed money in one of two gold colored collection plates that were held by two female ushers standing on either side of the altar. This was the second collection, the first being the missionary offering. For that offering, people remained seated and ushers passed a collection plate to the end of each pew.

After the congregation returned to their seats, the choir marched out of the choir stands in single file from the left and the right while singing the classic Gospel song "Highway To Heaven". The body stance of each choir member was erect, and not the leaning forward with heads down stance and chugging forward movement which was done by the Black Canadian choir from Abiezer Pentecostal Church's collection march as shown in this 2009 YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ5xSuIMfuo.

 After the two lines of choir members exited the choir stand, one line marched up the right aisle and one line marched up the left aisle. The two single lines met at the top of the center aisle. Then the choir marched in twos down the center aisle. When they reached the bottom of the center aisle, the person to the right placed her offering in the collection plate held by one usher, and the person to the left placed her offering in the collection plate held by the other usher. The line on the right and the line on the left then marched to their respective aisles. When they reached those aisles, the marchers faced backwards while moving up those aisles. At the top of the aisles, the marchers faced forward again and then marched to the top of the center aisle. At the top of the center aisle the two single lines combined to march in twos down that aisle. The combined line then separated at the bottom of the center aisle to march back towards the right and the left to re-enter the choir stand. When they reached the choir stand, they continued standing to sing their song.
-snip-
Thanks to my younger brother, Dr. R.E.B Manning, the director of St. Paul AME's choir and his wife Charlotte Manning, who is a member of that choir for confirming my recollections about this collection march. [phone conversations March 24, 2019, and March 26, 2019]. Both R.E.B. and Charlotte used the term "collection march", not the term "march around".

In my separate telephone conversation with them, R.E.B. Manning and Charlotte Manning indicated that every Sunday this choir marches in to the sanctuary to begin the church service and marches for collection.

Charlotte Manning also shared with me that she remembers choirs marching in and choirs marching for collection being customs that were done every Sunday at Baptist churches and at AME churches- including St. Paul AME church- that she attended/attends in Pleasantville, New Jersey since the late 1950s. Charlotte mentioned that there were some people from the West Indies who belonged to those churches, although her family wasn't from there. Charlotte also shared that the pastor of St. Paul AME in Pleasantville had Jamaican roots.

I was raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey (about 15 minutes from Pleasantville) and I don't recall observing any choir march arounds at any church that I attended. This is probably because I usually only attended my own church, particularly on Sunday mornings, and I only remember attending an AME church for a choir competition. I also don't recall ever attending an A.M.E Zion church or a church of any other denomination during my childhood and my teen years. However, I have vivid memories of choir march ins at my church (Union Baptist Temple Church) being done every Sunday (since the mid 1950s). And the choir march in custom is still done at that church to begin the (main) Sunday service (as confirmed by my youngest brother Kenneth Manning in a telephone conversation on March 24, 2019. Kenneth is a member of one of Union Baptist Temple's choir) . Although I didn't ask him that question, I'm sure that my brother R. E.B Manning would also remembers choir march ins at Union Baptist Temple Church in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

I also recall attending an anniversary concert of the Spiral Chorus, the church choir that my mother sang in and observing them march down the center aisle to the choir stand singing "Move Up The King's Highway". 

**The St. Paul AME Church choir is under the direction of Dr. R. E. B. Manning who is also the choir's organist. The other musicians who accompanied the choir are Kenneth Moore (pianist & saxophone player), George Thomas, (snare) drummer, and Larry King, tambourine player.

To be clear, the St. Paul AME Church service was much more sedate that the First United Tabernacle International Ministries church service. In contrast to the exuberant expressions by the congregation at First United Tabernacle, the St. Paul's the congregation remained in their seats and didn't appear to express themselves in any way while the choir did their collection march. Also, as somewhat of an aside, notice that females (especially women) at First United Tabernacle wore hats (covered their head which is an old church tradition that I recall at my Baptist church in the 1950s to around the early 1960s). However, I don't recall any female wearing any hat or head covering at St. Paul's AME church.

Disclaimer: This description doesn't necessarily mean that each of St Paul AME Church Choir's collection marches are always done this way or that all march arounds by African American choirs fit this description.

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This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Seven YouTube Videos Of "Ring Around The Rosie" (And Similar Titles) with lyrics and video descriptions

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about the "Ring Around The Rosie" children's rhymes and singing games.

This post showcases seven YouTube videos of "Ring Around The Rosie" or similar titles and provides my description of these videos with particular focus on the lyrics of that version of that song. Read my Editor's notes for a summation of my description.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/08/debunking-belief-that-ring-around-rosie.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. .That post debunks the theories that these rhymes and singing games have anything to do with the plague. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/08/versions-of-rhyme-singing-game-ring.html  for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post documents various pre-February 2005* versions of "Ring Around The Rosie." (*This date is prior to the launch of  YouTube on the internet).

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS DESCRIPTION SUMMATION
There are a lot of YouTube videos for the children's singing game "Ring Around The Rosie" and similar titles.

I selected these examples to showcase the different ways that English language versions of "Ring Around The Rosie" are sung. 

Where these videos are from
The groups that are featured in Showcase videos #3, #4, #5 either sing or move to a record of the "standard" one verse United States version of "RIng Around The Rosie" (or similar titles for this singing game.).

Based on the three verse version of this singing game (and particularly based on the words "Atishoo Atishoo/ We all fall down" that is used for the third and fourth lines of this version, the group that is featured in Showcase #1 is from Great Britain.

Based on how the children in this video and their clothing were drawn, and based on the video's music, Video #2 represents how this singing game is performed in India.

Although Showcase video #7 was produced by a company from India, the physical appearance (including the way that they are dressed) represents how this singing game is performed in Britian.  

**
Pronunciation of the word "rosie"
"Rosies" is an informal word that is used in this rhyme/singing game instead of the word "roses" that is used in formal English as the plural word for "rose".

Often the word "rosies" is pronounced to rhyme with the word "posies" even if the word in the video's caption is given as "roses". ("Rosies" sounds like "roh-zees".)

**
Number of verses
In the showcase videos that are from the United States, "Ring Around The Rosie" (or similar titles) only has one four line verse. The third and fourth lines are always "Ashes, ashes. We all fall down". This verse is repeated for each iteration of the singing game. This version can be considered as the "standard" United States version of "Ring Around The Rosie".

Videos of this singing game from outside of the United States also appear to usually have just one four line verse that is repeated again and again. However, the third and fourth lines of these verses are always "Atishoo, Atishoo" we all fall down. ("Atishoo" is a word that imitates the sound of someone  sneezing.) This can be considered the standard British way of singing this nursery rhyme/singing game.

Notice that the Showcase video given as #1 in this pancocojams compilation, this singing game has three different four line verses. This reflects an older way of singing this nursery rhyme/children's song

**
Tune/tempo
In each of these showcase videos, the tune that is used for "Ring Around The Rosie" is basically the same. The tempos for each example may be speeded up or slowed down.

**
How the group moves around the circle for this singing game
Groups either move in a clockwise circular direction or in a counterclockwise circular direction for the singing game "Ring Around The Rosie" (or similar titles). 
 
The showcase videos in which the group moves clockwise are #4 and #6.. 

The showcase videos in which the group moves counterclockwise are #1, #2, #3, #5.

In Showcase video #7, the group moves counterclockwise for the first line and then moves clockwise for the second line. The group then stands still and mimics the "Atishoo" (sneeze) before following the "All fall down" instructions of "Alimi

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
This compilation is only a small sample of the YouTube videos of this rhyme/singing game.

These videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date with the oldest published date given first.

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

This compilation is only a small sample of the YouTube videos of this rhyme/singing game.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 - Ring-A-Ring-O'-Roses- Activity Song with Singalong Lyrics

And So To Bed TV,Sep 18, 2013

Singalong with us to one of the nation's favorite children's songs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRsuanAdmsg
-snip-
Description:
Three mothers and their toddlers are standing outside in a park. They form a small circle holding hands and march in place for a brief time before the women start singing "Ring a ring a Roses". (The singers have British accents.)

The group moves counterclockwise to the song.

Lyrics:

Ring a ring a roses
A pocket full o’ posies
A tishoo! A tishoo!
We all fall down.

The group falls down on the grass. One of the women holds a hand puppet of a cow and pretend that the cow is eating the grass as is sung in this second verse of this song

The cows are in the meadow, eating all the grass
A tishoo! A tishoo!
We all jump up.

Everyone stands back up and the song is repeated again.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Ringa Ringa Roses | Ring Around the Rosie -3D Kid's Songs & Nursery Rhymes for children

CVS 3D Rhymes & Kids Songs, May 13, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj_dtWTKetI

This group is shown moving counterclockwise around the circle.

Lyrics:

Ring-a-ring o' roses,

A pocket full of posies,

A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all fall down.
-snip-
This is an animation video of Indian children playing the singing game 'Ring a ring o' roses". The children are standing outdoors, holding hands while they move in a counterclockwise direction around a rose bush in the middle of the circle.

This rhyme is chanted not sung, the music in the background has an India flavor but is somewhat similar to the “standard” English tune and tempo of this singing game.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #3- Ring Around the Rosies Nursery Rhyme performed by Patty Shukla



Patty Shukla KidsTV- Children's Songs , Jan 27, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsnFynunqvI
-snip-
Patty Shukla and different ages of children are outside singing this song while holding a large colorful play parachute that the group holds and sits under at the end of each iteration of the song.

Lyrics: 
Ring around the rosies
Pocketful of posies.
Ashes, Ashes
We all fall down.

The group moves counterclockwise in a circular direction while they sing this verse over and over again.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #4 - evokids - Ring Around The Rosie | Nursery Rhymes | Kids songs

evokids, Apr 29, 2015  #kidssongs #nurseryrhymes #babysongs

A fun and classic playground singing game to play with your friends! Listen and play ‘ring around the rosie’. 🌼 🌺 🌷 🌹 🌻

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLE-gGQMlCw
-snip-
This animated video shows children standing outside singing "Ring Around The Roses". Based on their accents and the lyrics that they sing, this video depicts children from the USA singing this song. (This video presents different harmonizing versions of these standard American lyrics  with each iteration of this song.

Lyrics:
Ring around the rosies
Pocketful of posies.
Ashes, Ashes
We all fall down.

The group moves in a clockwise circular direction to this song. 

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #5-  Ring-Around-the-Rosie Song

AFHero66, Mar 20, 2017

At my daughter's 5th birthday party, there may have been a tad      too much sugar, but endless choruses of fun. Lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpOC28pYmd4 [moving
-snip
Lyrics:
Ring around the rosies 
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes we all fall DOWN
-snip-
The children move counterclockwise around the circle.

****

SHOWCASE VDEO #6- Ring-A-Ring O'Rosy 🌸 Children's Nursery Rhyme 🎶 Kids Dance Song 🕺 The Wiggles 

Premiered Aug 21, 2023  #TheWiggles #KidsSongs #NurseryRhymes

Step into a world of joyful play with this delightful rendition of 'Ring-A-Ring O'Rosy'! The Wiggles invite children to join the circle of laughter and movement as they sing this timeless nursery rhyme, with interactive actions that spark imagination and coordination. From dancing in a circle to pretending to fall down, 'Ring-A-Ring O'Rosy' engages toddlers and preschoolers in a fun game of musical storytelling. Come and join the circle of fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkHVV5nMs2g
-snip-
Lyrics:
Ringa ring o’ rosy

a pocketful of posies

Atishoo atishoo

We all fall down
-snip-
The singers move in a clockwise direction around the circle.
-snip-
The Wiggles (music group) were formed in 1991 from New South Wales, Australia.

The version of this singing game that they use reflects Australia's British heritage.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #7 - Ringa Ringa Roses Outdoor Play Song for Kids | Circle Time Fun! ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes for Infants

ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs, Premiered Aug 8, 2025 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zshekB5rYcE
-snip-
Video description for the beginning singing game "Ringa Ringa Rosey"

This is an animated video of a group of children at a park. A girl seated on the park bench in the playground reads this rhyme in a book:

"Ringa ringa rosey
pocket full of posies
atischoo atischoo we all fall down"

The children see a ruse bush and then go over to it, form a circle and sing this song.

The group moves counterclockwise for the fist line, then move clockwise for the second line, for the word a tishoo a tishoo the children stand still and cover their mouth as if they had sneezed, on the word we all fall down, the group falls down.

This verse is repeated a number of times; the tune is slightly different after the first line, the tempo is slow.

This video includes other nursery rhymes/singing games.

Note that Chu Chu TV is from India. However, the animation doesn't reflect that. Instead, the integrated group of children and the clothes that they wear appears to imply that the the location of this video is in Great Britain, or in the United States, or in another "Western" nation where there are White children and Black children.

That said, the "atishoo atischoo" words in this video reflects India's British heritage.

****
This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Lyric Versions Of The Rhyme/ Singing Game "Ring Around The Rosies" And Similar Titles

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the "Ring Around The Rosie" children's rhymes and singing games.

This post documents various pre-February 2005* versions of "Ring Around The Rosie." (*This date is prior to the launch of  YouTube on the internet.) 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/08/debunking-belief-that-ring-around-rosie.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. .That post debunks the theories that these rhymes and singing games have anything to do with the plague. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/08/seven-youtube-videos-of-ring-around.html__ for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases seven YouTube videos of "Ring Around The Rosie" or similar titles.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This pancocojams series on "Ring Around The Rosie" departs somewhat from the mission of this pancocojams blog which is to document and share examples of African American culture and other Black cultures around the world. 

The words and/or performance activities of a number of early examples of many of the children's rhymes, singing games, and cheers that are showcased on pancocojams definitely or likely were created by Black people. However, other early examples of children's rhymes, singing games, and cheers that are found in this blog- such as early examples of "Ring Around The Rosie" likely or definitely weren't created by Black people.

As is the case with all of the rhymes and singing games that have been featured in this pancocojams blog, I'm focusing on "Ring Around The Rosie" because I'm interested in its history, and its folklore-particularly how it has changed overtime. Also, as is the case with all rhymes and singing games (and cheers) that are featured in this pancocojams blog, I'm interested in documenting socio-cultural information about those examples, and exploring the socio-cultural implications of those examples.

****
VERSIONS OF "RING AROUND THE ROSIE" AND SIMILAR TITLES
These sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. 

Source #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_a_Ring_o%27_Roses
" "Ring a Ring o' Roses", also known as "Ring a Ring o' Rosie" or "Ring Around the Rosie", is a nursery rhyme, folk song, and playground game. Descriptions first appeared in the mid-19th century, though it is reported to date from decades earlier. Similar rhymes are known across Europe, with varying lyrics. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7925.


[...]

Common British versions include: 

Ring-a-ring o' roses,

A pocket full of posies.

A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all fall down![2] 

Common American versions include: 

Ring around the rosie,

A pocket full of posies.

Ashes! Ashes!

We all fall down![2]

[...]

Early attestation

American children playing the game, illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith in The Little Mother Goose (1912)

Variations, corruptions, and adaptations of the rhyme have been noted to exist long before its earliest printed versions. One such variation was recorded as being used in Connecticut in the 1840s.[7] A novel from 1855, The Old Homestead by Ann S. Stephens, includes the following version: 

A ring – a ring of roses,

Laps full of posies;

Awake – awake!

Now come and make

A ring – a ring of roses.[8]
 

Another early record of the rhyme appears in Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose; or, the Old Nursery Rhymes (1881): 

Ring-a-ring-a-roses,

A pocket full of posies;

Hush! hush! hush! hush!

We're all tumbled down.[9] 

In his Games and Songs of American Children (1883), William Wells Newell describes several variants, including one with a melody that he dates to around 1790 in New Bedford, Massachusetts: 

Ring a ring a Rosie,

A bottle full of posie,

All the girls in our town

Ring for little Josie.[7]

Newell notes that "[a]t the end of the words the children suddenly stoop, and the last to get down undergoes some penalty, or has to take the place of the child in the centre, who represents the 'rosie' (rose-tree; French, rosier)."[7] In an 1846 article from the Brooklyn Eagle, a different version of the game called Ring o' Roses is described. In this version, a group of young children forms a ring, from which a boy selects a girl and kisses her.[10] 

An 1883 collection of Shropshire folklore includes the following version: 

A ring, a ring o' roses,

A pocket-full o' posies;

One for Jack and one for Jim and one for little Moses!

A-tisha! a-tisha! a-tisha![11]

 
On the final line, "they stand and imitate sneezing".[11] The Opies, in their Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, record similar variations that have appeared over time.[12]"...

****
Source #2- https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21219 [Pancocojams Editor: There are several titles for this discussion thread on "Ring Around The Roses."].

1. Subject: Ring around the rosy
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 May 00 - 05:45 PM

Ring-a-ring o' roses,

A pocket full of posies,

A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all fall down.

The words of this little ring-song seem to be becoming standardized though this was not so a hundred years ago when Lady Gomme was collecting (ante 1898). Of the twelve versions she gathered only one was similar to the above. Although 'Ring-a-ring o' roses' is now one of the most popular nursery games - the song which instantly rises from the lips of small children whenever they join hands in a circle - the words were not known to Halliwell, and have not been found in children's literature before 1881. Newell, however, says that,

Ring a ring a rosie,

A bottle full of posie,

All the girls in our town,

Ring for little Josie,

was current to the familiar tune in New Bedford, Massachusetts, about 1790. The 'A-tishoo' is notably absent here, as it is also in other versions he gives, in which the players squat or stoop rather than fall down:

Round the ring of roses,

Pots full of posies,

The one who stoops last

Shall tell whom she loves best.

The invariable sneezing and falling down in modern English versions has given would-be origin finders the opportunity to say that the rhyme dates back to the days of the Great Plague. A rosy rash, they allege, was a symptom of the plague, posies of herbs were carried as protection, sneezing was a final fatal symptom, and 'all fall down' was exactly what happened. It would be more delightful to recall the old belief that gifted children had the power to laugh roses (Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie). The foreign and nineteenth-century versions seem to show that the fall was originally a curtsy or other gracious movement of a ring game (see I. and P. Opie, The Singing Game). A sequel rhyme which enabled the players to rise to their feet again was in vogue in the 1940s:

The cows are in the meadow

Lying fast asleep,

A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all get up again."

**
2.  Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ring-a-ring-of-roses
From: alison
Date: 09 May 00 - 12:13 AM

"My kids sing this second verse the cows are in the meadows eating buttercups A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all jump up."... ** 3. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ring-a-ring-of-roses From: GUEST,Jonathanchandler@hotmail.com Date: 09 May 00 - 02:02 PM "thanks folks, that was indeed the second verse that I knew!"... ** 4. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ring-a-ring-of-roses From: Melbert Date: 11 May 00 - 04:03 PM "The version which my mum sang to me whilst bouncing me on her knee, and which we now sing to our Grandchildren has a second verse which goes:  Ashes in the water, Ashes in the sea Up we jump with a 1-2-3" ** 5.Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ring-a-ring-of-roses From: Bernard Date: 13 Mar 05 - 11:24 AM "The version we sing around these parts (Bolton, Lancashire, England) is:   Ring-a-ring-a-roses A pocketful of posies Atishoo, atishoo, We all fall down.   Fishes in the water, Fishes in the sea, We all jump up With a one-two-three!   Methinks most 'regional variations' can be ascribed to 'Chinese Whispers'!!" ** 6. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ring-a-ring-of-roses From: GUEST,Cali Date: 13 Mar 05 - 02:10 AM "This is what I've heard.   The cows are in the meadow Eating all the daisies Thunder, lighting We all stand up."... ** 7. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ring-a-ring-of-roses From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 13 Mar 05 - 01:22 PM "Thanks for the 'fishes' verse which is not in Opies' "The Singing Game." It shows that the rhyme is still adding variants."...

****
Source #3 - https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49672&messages=214&page=1

[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only,]

1. Subject: RE: Ring Around The Rosey's History??
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jul 02 - 05:48 PM

..."A version from Lomax and Lomax, 1939 Southern States Collecting Trip, from Wiergate, Texas:

Ring around a rosey, pocket full o' posies,

Light bread, Sweet bread, Squat!

Guess who she told me, tralalalala,

Mister Red was her lover, tralalalala,

If you love him, hug him!

If you hate him, stomp!

(Sec. 13, Merryville, LA and vicinity)

**
2. Subject: RE: Ring Around The Rosey's History??
From: GUEST,Bagpuss
Date: 19 Jul 02 - 06:07 AM

"When we were little, there was a second verse, sung while sitting on the floor after "all fall down":

Down at the bottom of the deep blue sea

Catching fishies for my tea

By a one, by a two by a three

 

At the count of three everyone stood up and lifted the smaller children playing into the air.

 

Is this just a local thing (NE England), or did others have this ending too? Anyone know where it comes from/what it means?"

**
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49672&messages=214&page=2

[Pancocojams Editor: Most of the comments on that page are about the possible connection between "Ring Around The Rosies" and the plague.]

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49672&page=3

3. Subject: RE: Ring Around The Rosey's History??
From: GUEST,jonilog
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 05:53 AM

"The version of the rhyme common in Motherwell, Scotland was:

Ring a ring a Roses a cup a cup o' shell

The dogs away tae Hamilton tae buy a new bell

If ye cannae tak it I'll tak it tae mysel

A ring a ring a rosies a cup a cup o' shell

 

Don't ask me what it means ,I haven't a clue either. Its also the version my wife remembers from her childhood. We probably never heard the well known version till the introduction of television in the fifties."

**
4. Subject: RE: Origins: Ring Around The Rosey's History??
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Oct 04 - 11:21 PM

"In view of the constantly recurring speculations, it seems a good idea to post a variety of the versions, with dates. The earliest dated "Ring Around the Rosie" is ca. 1790 (and this reference can't be found now) as suggested in this rhyme from Massachusetts:

 

Ring a ring a rosie,

A bottle full of posie,

All the girls in our town,

Ring for little Josie.

 

Published 1883:

Round the ring of roses,

Pots full of posies,

The one who stoops last

Shall tell whom she loves best.

 

Also published 1883:

Ring around the rosie,

Squat among the posies,

Ring around the roses,

Pockets full of posies,

One, two, three- *squat!

(this one still used in Georgia in the 1930s. "Last one squats will be old Josie" is the end of one from Texas. Also see the one from Switzerland)

 

1840s, acc. to W. W. Newell:

A ring, a ring, a raney

Buttermilk and tansy,

Flower here and flower there,

And all- squat!

 

The above all from W. W. Newell, Games and Songs of American Children, 1883, (1903), Dover reprint.

 

Now a few from the other side; from the Opies, "The Singing Game."

1880s, Lancashire:

A ring, a ring o'roses

A *pocket full o' posies- *or bottle

Atch chew! atch chew!

 

1881, Greenaway, Mother Goose:

Ring-a ring-a-roses,

A pocket full of posies;

Hush~ hush! hush! hush!

We're all tumbled down

 

Shropshire, 1883:

A ring, a ring o' roses,

A pocket full o' posies,

One for Jack and one for Jim

And one for Little Moses!

A curchey in, and a curchey out,

And a curchey all together.

(Children curtsey at end. See the Italian one)

 

ca. 1900, Italy:

Gira, gira, rosa,

Co la più: bela in mezo,

Gira un bel giardino,

Un altro pochetino;

Un salterelo,

Un altro de più belo;

Una riverenza,

Un'altra per penitenza;

Un baso a chi ti vol.

---

Ring a ring a roses

With the most beautiful in the middle;

Ring a pretty garden,

Another circle round,

A little skip,

Another even better,

A curtsy,

Another for penitence;

A kiss for the one you like.

 

1857, Switzerland:

Ring-a, ring-a, row,

The children go into the greenwood,

They dance around the rosebush

And all *squat down.

Above all from Iona and Peter Opis, 1985," pp. 219-227, "The Singing Game.""...
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor: I added the bold font to highlight these dates and places. 

 
****
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49672&messages=214&page=4

5.  Subject: RE: Origins: Ring Around The Rosey's History??
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 11:37 PM

"This happy little game could be related to "Merry-ma-tansie," the marriage game in Scotland- "a happy wedding song" as Lighter insists. One of the verses is-

Twice about and then we fall,

Then we fall, then we fall,

Twice about and then we fall,

Around the merry-ma-tansie.

 

An old variant in America-

A ring, a ring, a ransy,

Buttermilk and tansy,

Flower here and flower there,

And all- squat! "...


**
6. Subject: RE: Origins: Ring around the Rosy / Rosey
From: Azizi
Date: 06 Jul 08 - 10:56 AM

"I happened upon this thread last night. After reading some of the old American variants of "Ring Around The Rosie", I got to thinking about the possible connection between these rhymes and the version of "Green Sally Up" that is found on Disc 4 of Alan Lomax's Sounds of the South, A Musical Journey from the Georgia Sea Isles to the Mississippi Delta {Atlantic 787496-2; 1993}.

[...]

I'll share some additional thoughts about the possible connections between some "Ring Around The Rosie" rhymes and the "Sounds of South" version of "Green Sally Up" in my next post to this thread."

**
7. Subject: RE: Origins: Ring around the Rosy / Rosey
From: Azizi
Date: 06 Jul 08 - 11:34 AM

"The first rhyme that I think has some similarities with "Green Sally Up" {what I call version #1, "The Sounds of South" CD version} is the rhyme that Dicho posted on this thread in 2002

Ring around a rosey, pocket full o' posies,

Light bread, Sweet bread, Squat!

Guess who she told me, tralalalala,

Mister Red was her lover, tralalalala,

If you love him, hug him!

If you hate him, stomp!

-snip-

Source: Lomax and Lomax, 1939 Southern States Collecting Trip, from Wiergate, Texas: (Sec. 13, Merryville, LA and vicinity)

-snip-

I call this version "Louisiana Ring Around The Rosie" because Lomax and Lomax collected it from Louisiana {LA].

The last two lines of that rhyme remind me of the lines "If you hate it fold your arms/ If you love it clap your hands" in version #1 of "Green Sally Up" as given above. Also, version #1 of "Green Sally Up" and that Louisiana version of "Ring Around The Rosie" both include the word "squat".

Actually, as Q has shared with us in this thread, a number of Southern American versions of "Ring Around The Rosie" include the word "squat".

Here are reposts of two of these examples from Q's post above:

Ring around the rosie,

Squat among the posies,

Ring around the roses,

Pockets full of posies,

One, two, three- *squat!

-snip-

Should this be called "Ring Around The Rosie, Squat} to distinquish it from other Ring Around The Rosie" examples?

A Ring, A Ring, A Raney

A ring, a ring, a raney

Buttermilk and tansy,

Flower here and flower there,

And all- squat!

-snip-

I call this version "A Ring, A Ring, A Raney". I know that ring means circle, but what does "raney" mean?

Both of these examples are from the same source: W. W. Newell, Games and Songs of American Children, 1883, (1903), Dover reprint.

If the African American game song "Green Sally Up" originally had as it's source the British game song "Ring Around The Rosie" ,then it eventually became an entirely different song-as seen by the "Step It Down" version. Of course, any "early" connection between these two game songs is speculation on my part. But I believe that it's worth a thought or two.."...

**
8.Subject: RE: Origins: Ring around the Rosy / Rosey
From: GUEST,-Crylo
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 11:02 PM

"My understanding of the rhyme here in Canada goes "Ring around the rosey a pocket full of posies, husha husha we all fall down.

It seems depending on location we hear the rhyme with different lyrics."

**
9. Subject: RE: Origins: Ring around the Rosy / Rosey
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 12:42 PM

"Crylo, correct.

The 'husha....' part is similar to that of a Greenaway Mother Goose version from England, c. 1881-

Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush!

We're all tumbled down.

[...]

See Iona and Peter Opie, 1985, "The Singing Game," Oxford University Press.

**

.Subject: RE: Origins: Ring around the Rosy / Rosey

From: GUEST,latecomer

Date: 30 May 10 - 08:39 PM

 

This may be a bit irrelevant at this point, but I'm not sure how accurate verses that come after the well-known "Ring around the rosy" verse are. The one I know of goes:

 

Cows in the meadow

eating buttercups

ashes, ashes,

we all stand up.

 

Maybe kids wanted a reason to stand up after they fell down, and so made up a rhyme for themselves. What other "stand up" verses have you heard?"

****
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