pancocojams

Sunday, May 3, 2026

"On A Mountain Stands A Lady" (Part II- A Facebook Post About A 2012 Isle Of Man Version With Multiple Comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is the Part II of a series of pancocojams posts about the children's singing game and recreational rhyme entitled "On The Mountain stands A Lady" (and similar titles).

This post presents a 2025 Facebook post about a 2012 Isle of Man sound file by Violet Corlett of "On The Mountain Stands A Lady". Some comments from that post's discussion thread are also included in this pancocojams post. These comments include memories of that skipping rhyme mostly from the 1940s - 1970s with one commenter sharing her memory of singing this rhyme while skipping rope in the 1980s.

The Addendum to this post provides a general list of the locations that the selected commenters gave for where they lived when they sang this rhyme.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-history-of-on-mountain-stands-lady.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents an excerpt about this singing game and rhyme from two bluegrassmessanger.com website. The second website indicates that the earliest documented example of "On The Mountain stands A Lady" is from 1846 with some sources for that song dating from 18th century Britain.

Links to subsequent pancocojams posts about "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" will be added in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Violet Corlett, the singer of this 2012 example of "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" whose recording is showcased in this Facebook post. Thanks also to culturevannin for publishing that showcased sound file of Isle of Man example of "On A Mountain Stands A Lady". Thanks also to all the commenters who shared their memories of "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" in that Facebook post's discussion thread.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This post departs from this pancocojams blog's mission of showcasing the music, dances, language practices, & customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world.

While some singing games and recreational rhymes that are showcased on pancocojams have been documented to come from Black Americans or from other Black people, all of the examples from those folk genres-such as "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" did not come from those populations.

These examples of and information about "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" are showcased on pancocojams because I'm interested in and like these genres of folk culture. Also, I like learning about the history of songs and rhymes and discovering how some elements of old songs and rhymes are retained in "new" songs and rhymes.

****
FACEBOOK POST ABOUT "ON A MOUNTAIN STANDS A LADY"
From https://www.facebook.com/culturevannin/videos/on-a-mountain-stands-a-lady/810912307976280/

Culture Vannin, October 6, 2025
"A skipping rhyme sung in Douglas in the 1930s.

This is from a wonderful recording of Violet Corlett in 2012 which has just been released online.

The c.20-minute recording is of rhymes, songs and skipping songs she remembered from her childhood, along with a large number of her own wonderful limericks.

It is, surely, one of the most joyful recordings you will hear today!

[...]

We found this amongst some old files here (along with the appropriate permission forms), and we are delighted to be able to share it online for the first time.

We do not have the contact for the family to let them know that it is available, but we hope that someone will be able to tag them here or otherwise contact them.

The image is one of Mrs Corlett's own photographs: 'Group of Cronkbourne Village children outside one of the houses in Cronkbourne Village, Braddan. Date unknown.'

[…]

Lyrics:

On the mountain stands a lady
Who she is I do not know
All she wants is silver and gold
All she wants is a nice young man
So fall in and follow me
Follow me, follow me
So fall in and follow me
[repeats song from the beginning]
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's note:
This Facebook page includes a .23 second sound file of this skipping song.
-snip-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man
"The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin [ˈmanɪnʲ], also Ellan Vannin [ˈɛlʲan ˈvanɪnʲ]), or simply Mann (/mæn/ man),[12] is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defence and represents it abroad, but the Isle of Man still has a separate international identity.[13]"
-snip-
Douglas is the capital of the Isles of Man and Cronkbourne Village is located on the Isle of Man,

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS FACEBOOK POST

Pancocojams Editor's Notes:
As of May 3, 2026 there were 328 comments in the discussion thread for this 2025 facebook post. All of the comments are from October 2025.

These selected comments are numbered for referencing purposes only.

These comments are given without explanations except for the following information:

- The Live Birds https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063924/
"[British] Television Series; Comedy 1969-1996

The lives and loves of Beryl Hennessey and Sandra Hutchinson, two young, single women sharing a flat in Liverpool."

**
-Frankenstein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein%27s_monster
"Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein,[a] is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's creator, Victor Frankenstein, who later became the monster's namesake, to the mythological character Prometheus, who fashioned humans out of clay and gave them fire."...

**
-Pansy Potter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansy_Potter
"Pansy Potter is a British comic strip character from the magazine The Beano. She first appeared in -Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter issue 21 in 1938, and was first illustrated by Hugh McNeill."...

****

1. Eunice Hurst
"Sang this playing rope two turned the others waited in line you jumped and sang the called in a friend to join you jumping whe rhyme started again you left her to. Choose the next one to join in

**
2. Alma Lewis
"I remember singing this in the 1940s . On a Sunday afternoon , dads and mums would join the children in the middle of the road( no cars in those days) and the dads would take turns of turning the clothesline skipping rope while the mums joined the children in skipping"

**
3. Judy James
"We sang on the hilltop stands a lady etc. It was for calling someone in to skip with you. And ended up : so come in my (name) dear. I love you."

**
4. Bryn Jones
"Sang it in Liverpool in the 1950's."

**
5. Anne Shields
"We used to play that also the tune was the theme from the liverbirds"

**
6. Elsa Nutt
"Haven’t heard that for decades in Orkney in the 1950’s and in Dundee in the early 1970’s in my first teaching job."

**
7. Maggie Worsfold
"We sang this in my primary school in Hammersmith West London in the late 50 's. We would call in girls by name until the long skipping rope was full. What a shame all the playground games we played have gone, mostly because of Health and Safety"

**
8. Polly Bryan
"This was the theme tune to the Liver Birds, a sitcom from the 60s, starring Nerys Hughes and Polly? later Elizabet Estenson. It was a well known skipping song in the 50s and 60s. We used to skip to it in York in the 60s."

**
9. Barbara Haynes
"And in the 50s London playgrounds too."

**
10. Lindsay Simmons
"Sang this in Cheshire in the 60's"

**
11. Winifred Fisher
"I sang this along with so many songs we sang as we played go back to the early 50s I am now 87 and can recall so many."

**
12. Sara Bottomley
"We skipped to this in the 1970s in Kent!"

**
13. Sybil Patterson
"I sang this while skipping in the 1940s great memories x🤣🤣🤣"

**
14. Lelly Sue Hirst
"In Liverpool the first half was the same but we used to sing 'So call in my (name) dear..... while I go out to play'. The skipper would jump out and the called person would jump out."

**
15. Ann Elizabeth Bowen
"Not just in Douglas. I remember singing this in the 1950s in Dudley, west Midlands (then Worcestershire). After 'All she wants is a nice young man' the rope speeded up and everyone shouted the names of boys. The name shouted as you caught the rope on your feet was supposed to be the one you'd end up marrying!"

**
16. Bernadette Derry
"Pauline RaffertyI wonder where it originated. It is/was the same song with very minor differences sung all over the place. A “top ten hit “ "

**
17. Myfanwy Evans
"Bernadette Derry I wonder if the “evacuation” system during the war helped spread the songs and games?"

**
18. Bernadette Derry
"Quite likely I would think. I’d never thought of that."

**
19. Diane Waugh
"'On a mountain stands a castle, and it's owner Frankenstein.

And his daughter Suzy Potter, she's my own true valentine'

Sung at school in south West Scotland, can't remember what the rest we had was"

**
20. Jessie Ronald
"Diane Waugh We used to sing on a mountain stands a castle,and the owner Frankenstein.And his daughter Pansy Potter, she's my only Valentine. So I call in ( use a friend's name who is next in line to jump in with the skipping ropes like Mary dear Mary dear so I call Mary Dear as I go out to play. You then jump out and she jumps in and takes your place."

**
21. Helen Cutler
'"We sang this in South Wales as a skipping rhyme. Different ending , but can't remember it."

**
22. Cheryl Trowbridge Sharpe
"I remember singing that while skipping. Slightly different ending - instead of follow me we sang ' so call in my (name) dear' and another girl would join you in the rope. Another one was vote, vote, vote because of (name), call in (someone else) at the you in the rope. Another one was vote, vote, vote because of (name), call in (someone else) at the door, for, (someone else) is the lady who is going to have a baby and we won't vote for (name) any more, shut the door."

**
23. Ceinwen Howells
"We sang this is South Wales back in 1950 skipping in the street with friends On a mountain stood a lady who she is I don't know, I will court her for her beauty, she will answer yes or no, Oh no Sir No Sir No, not thought of this over 70 years ago, just like yesterday happy times"

**
24. Mary Holland
"We sang it on the streets of Glasgow early 1960's"

**
25. Margaret Macdonald
""Sang this in the Scottish Borders in 40s/50s!!"

**
26. Lynda Haynes
"And in Southampton 50's and early 60s in junior school. We did it with long rope 2 people holding it. Someone had to jump in with you, do the verse and then you would jump out and that person would carry on. Just like a round."

**
27. Lorraine Pannett
"On the hill there stands a lady/Who she is I do not know/ I will court her for her beauty/ She must answer yes or no.’ This is the version I remember from the Birmingham suburbs in the 1950s"

**
28. Pearl Watson
"On the mountain stands a castle

And the owner Frankenstein

And his daughter Pansy Potter

Is my only valentine

Wonder who told me this was the words when I was wee 😂😂😂"

**
29. Myfanwy Evans
"Pearl Watson somone else sent in those words further up this thread"

**
30. Gail Sinclair
"Sang this in the playground of my Canadian school in the 50s/60s."

**
31. Patricia Meakin
"We sang this, as a skipping song..one skipping..at the end part.. 'So Call in my very best friend, my very best friend, do call I'm my very best friend..(name)..while I go out and play.(jump out of the rope)."

**
32. Paula Meadows
"I remember this from my childhood but the ending was slightly different it was - and I will be your leader x"

**
33. Kate Michelle
"Also sung in Liverpool/Wiral at least as early as the 70s ! Theme tune to The Liver Birds series, same era 😀"

**
34. Valerie Haslett
"I’m 81….this was sung in Preston too"

**
35. Jac Kay
"Think we sang ‘on a mountain stands a castle’"

**
36. Lesley Bailey
"All she wants is a nice young beau". Young man doesn't rhyme."

**
37. Mairead Kerwin
"remembers some of our skipping rhymes but ours all had 'how many ... did she get or have or the like and we skipped very quickly to boast about how many skips we could do. 😅"

**
38.Carol Porch Matthews
"I sang that when skipping with a rope your friend would try to join you as you skipped not all could do it l lived in Cardiff"

**
39. Collette O'Hanlon
"We sang similar to this in Belfast, Ireland, same tune 🎶"

**
40. Anne Quigley
"Early 1960, County Wexford, Ireland"

**
41. Lynn James
"And the 70s, we were still singing it"

**
42. Jenni B-l
"We sang this in Hampshire in the 1980s"

**
41. Christine O'Toole Jackson
"Manchester,

Ends ‘Oh, no John, no John, no John no…’"

**
42. Kate Butterworth
"Yes - it's a Manxified version of the old English folk song "Oh, no John" (the first line of which is "On yonder hill there stands a creature/maiden...")"

**
43. Susan Mileson
"🎼 This is So Lovely, and Was Also a Popular Ditty in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sang by Legions of Geordie Kids from around the 50's, Wonderful History! 👏"

**
44. Lynne Karran
"Good memories, skipped to this in Chemainus, B.C."

**
45. Kathy Taylor
"We sang this at Onchan Primary in the late 60’s early 70’s. The melody is the same as the theme tune to the “Liver Birds” TV series.

https://youtu.be/5VFYuOJJdjE?si=yscrGgomgjSX4rtq "

**
46. Anne K Kennedy Truscott
"A version of this skipping rhyme was sung in Newcastlewest in Co.Limerick in the 1950’s when I was a child. “There is a lady from the mountain. Who is she I cannot tell. All she wants is gold and silver and a nice young man as well. So hop in and follow me, etc., etc.”

❤️❤️☘️"

**
47. Judith Sharrock
"Sung in Liverpool"

**
48. Margaret Gahan
"Judith Sharrock

So call in my very best friend, very best friend, very best friend,

So call in my very best friend while I go out to play.

So you would exit from skipping and next kid jumps in

Liverpool late 50’s early 60’s🥰"

**
49. Carol Coils
"We sang this while skipping in 1970 Durham xxx"

**
50. Barbara Craig
"We played this in Glasgow in the 1960,s Instead of “Fall in and follow me…. “ we sang. “So I call in Maggie dear,( or whoever’s name you chose from the ring.)"

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ADDENDUM- LOCATIONS THAT WERE GIVEN FOR THIS RHYME/SONG IN THIS COMPILATION OF 2025 FACEBOOK COMMENTS
Commenters indicated that they remember "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" (or other similar titles) from their childhood in these locations:
(given in no particular order)
-Isle of Man
-England
-Ireland
-Scotland
-Wales
-Canada
-snip-
Please add any nation that is given in this compilation that I failed to include in this list. Thanks!

I'm curious if anyone from the United States remembers singing "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" while jumping rope or otherwise. (I don't remember it, but I remember the "Oh No John" folk song that two people in this compilation commented became associated with a version of this rhyme.)

Please share if you remember "On A Mountain Stands A Lady". Remember to include where (what location) and when (year or date). Information about whether this was a skipping (jump rope rhyme) or another type of children's recreational rhyme or singing game will be helpful for the folkloric record. Thanks in advance!

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Saturday, May 2, 2026

The History of "On The Mountain Stands A Lady" Children's Singing Game And Recreational Rhyme (Excerpt From bluegrassmessengers.com)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is the first in a series of pancocojams posts about the children's singing game and recreational rhyme entitled "On The Mountain stands A Lady" (and similar titles).

This post presents an excerpt about this singing game and rhyme from two bluegrassmessanger.com website. The second website indicates that the earliest documented example of "On The Mountain stands A Lady" is from 1846 with other elements from the 18th century.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/on-mountain-stands-lady-part-ii.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents a 2025 Facebook post about a 2012 Isle of Man sound file by Violet Corlett of "On The Mountain Stands A Lady". Some comments from that post's discussion thread are also included in that pancocojams post. Those comments include memories of that skipping rhyme mostly from the 1940s - 1970s with one commenter sharing her memory of singing this rhyme while skipping rope in the 1980s.

Links to subsequent pancocojams posts about "On A Mountain Stands A Lady" will be added in this post.

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

All copyights remain with their owners.

Thanks to bluegrassmessanger.com for their research and writing about this singing game and rhyme.

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: This page includes a sketch of girls holding hands moving around a circle counterclockwise with a girl in the center kneeling on the ground with her hands covering her face.]

"British and Other Versions: 8C. On a Mountain Stands a Lady Roud 2603; "There Stands a Lady" (Sharp); "There Stands a Lady on the Mountain;" "Yonder Stands a Lovely Lady;" "There She Stands a Lovely Creature;" "Lady on the Mountain"(Opie); "Lady on Yonder Hill;"

[The fundamental stanza of children's game songs used in 8C. On a Mountain Stands a Lady (Roud 2603) is derived from the text of two stanzas of 8. Madam, I Have Come To Court You. This opening stanza appears in a variety of ways but usually:

There stands a lady on the mountain,

Who she is I do not know:

Oh! she wants such gold and silver!

Oh! she wants such a nice young man! [Gomme A, 1894]

The modern versions[1] often reverse first line of the text:

On a mountain stands a lady,

Who she is I do not know;

All she wants is gold and silver,

All she wants is a nice young man[2]. [South London 1974]

The image of a lady on a "mountain" or "hillside" makes the stanza easily identified. The source of "mountain" is unknown and only one reference is given to it in the related "Madam" songs (see: The Dumb Lady-- 1672). It's derived from the first two lines of the opening stanza of "Madam[3]":

Yonder sits[stands] a lovely creature,

Who is she? I do not know,

I'll go court her for her features,

Whether her answer be "Ay" or "no."

The two lines are combined with a two-line variation of the last "gold and silver" stanza of "Madam" (the woman's response)[4]:

What care I for gold and silver,

What care I for house and land

What care I for rings and jewels,

If I had but a handsome man."

In this stanza the 1st and 4th lines make up the last two lines of the opening of the children's game song while a "handsome man" becomes a "nice young man" and the young lady once who eschewed "gold and silver" for a "handsome man" now wants "gold and silver." When these changes took place is unknown but since versions were collected in the 1880s the change likely took place by the mid-1800s.

The standard text of Madam was sung by children in 1846 as a nursery rhyme, my A. It was collected by Halliwell and does not have the standard game-song form found in C-G. The text of 8C's A and B are remnants of Madam with B versions having ring-game instructions. The logical conclusion would be that the nursery rhymes and ring games of A and B, predate C-G which were adapted from them. This evolution has not been verified and only two hybrid first stanzas[5] have been found (one from Australia) which have the "On the Mountain" opening with the "Madam" closing line "whether she answers Yes or No."

C is represented by children's game songs with the standard "Here stands a lady on the mountain" opening. One early version of C was collected in Berrington by Charlotte Burne and published in Shropshire Folk-Lore II ( p. 509) in 1885. Burne calls it "another version of Sally Water(Walters)" since the other parts are similar to or taken from Sally Water. She also says, "See the ballad of the Disdainful Lady," a version of Madam published in the same edition. In the notes for "Disdainful Lady" she says, "the first stanza slightly resembles a game-rhyme given ante (p. 509), and one in Folio Lore Journal, Vol. I. p. 387." Here's Burne's version:

Chorus. 'Here stands a lady on a mountain,

Who she is I do not know;

AU as she wants is gold and silver,

All as she wants is a nice young man.

Choose you east, and choose you west.

Choose you the one as you love best.

(She chooses, and chorus continues,)

Now Sally's got married we wish her good joy,

First a girl and then a boy;

Twelve months a'ter a son and da'ter,

Pray young couple, kiss together.

The text of stanzas of C not found in versions of "Madam" are taken from other children's songs current at the time of collection. Burne mentions "Sally Water." Some other children's songs/games with a lines similar to "Choose you east" and the "kissing stanza" are "King William," "Here Stands a Young Man," "Tug of War" and the aforementioned "Sally Water." Cf. the version in Gillington's "Old Hampshire Singing Games."

Two versions of D, children's songs where children reenact roles similar to those of the early wooing plays, were published by Gomme in 1894. Titled "Lady on Yonder Hill" they feature the character of the wooed lady who feigns death and is resurrected. In the folk plays Alan Brody points out that the "combat leads to the death and resurrection of one of the figures, after which the wooing resumes." The death of one of the wooers is found in both "Lady on Yonder Hill" and some of the "Quack Doctor" folk plays. The first version, Da, was taken by Gomme from an article, Children's Games, collected from Suffolk children by Miss Nina Layard of Ipswich and published in Suffolk Folk-lore, Issue 37, Part 2 as edited by Lady Eveline Camilla Gurdon, 1893. Gurdon gives the game instructions along with the sung text:

[…]

The inclusion of elements of the wooing plays suggests the possibility that the "There stands a Lady" stanza evolved from a wooing play in the early to mid-1800s. However, no wooing play has been collected which gives the "There stands a Lady" opening. The two "gold and silver" stanzas found similarly in Madam were collected in wooing plays of the 1900s but were surely present in the 1800s[6]. The argument that text of the children's songs resembles text of the wooing plays is tenuous at best.

In 1906 Cecil J. Sharp collected a version of E from John Barnett of Bridgwater, Somerset. This ring game variant (designated Ea) combines "Lady on a mountain" with a chorus, "Madam will you walk" associated with another courting song, "Keys of Heaven (Keys of Canterbury)[7]":

Madam will you walk

Madam will you talk

Madam will you walk and talk with me.

In 1909 Gillington published a version of E, "There Stands a Lady" (Keys of Heaven)," in her "Old Surrey Singing Games and Skipping Rope Rhymes." The most popular version of "There Stands a Lady (Keys of Heaven)" was collected from girls at Littleport Town Girls' School by Cecil Sharp on 8 September, 1911 at Littleport, Cambridgeshire. Sharp's elaborate version was widely reprinted and seems to be the source for a number of reprints including "There Stands a Lady." published by Norman Douglas in "London Street Games" (1st edition, 1916) pp. 85-87 and the popular "There Stands a Lady" from the TV sitcom series "Liver Birds" set in Liverpool that aired from 1969 to 1979. Here is the text of the 1912 version (slightly expanded from the MS) which was published by Sharp and Gomme for Novello and Company:

"There Stands a Lady" Circle Game

All the players join hands in a ring except one, A, who stands in the centre. They then sing and act as follows:—

The players dance round in the ring and sing these lines. A says “No” very decidedly. The players then stand still and sing the last two lines. A again says " No.”

1 There I stands a lady on the mountain,

Who she is I do not know;

All she wants is gold and silver.

All she wants is a nice young man.

Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk?

Madam will you marry me? No!

Not if I buy you a nice arm chair

To sit in your garden when you take the air? No!

2 There I stands a lady on the mountain.

Who she is I do not know;

All she wants is gold and silver,

All she wants is a nice young man.

Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk?

Madam will you marry me? No

Not if I buy you a silver spoon

To I feed your baby every afternoon? No

3 There stands a lady on the mountain,

Who she is I do not know;

All she wants is gold and silver.

All she wants is a nice young man.

[As in first stanza, except that on the second interrogation A says “Yes.” A then chooses a partner from the ring, B.]

Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk?

Madam will you marry me! No!

Not if I buy you a nice straw hat,

With three yards of ribbon a-hanging down your back? Yes

[A and B, arm in arm, walk out from the ring under the raised arms of two of the players. B puts a ring on A’s finger,]

4 Go to church, love,

Go to church, love, farewell.

5 Put the ring on,

Put the ring on, farewell.

6 Say your prayers, love, [A and B kneel down]

Say your prayers, love, farewell.

7 Back from church, love, [A and B, arm in arm, walk back into the centre of the ring,]

Back from church, love, fare-well.

8 What’s for breakfast, love, [Sung by A and B.]

What’s for breakfast, love, fare-well'?

9 Bread and butter and watercress, [Sung by the ring]

Bread and butter and watercress,

And you shall have some.

[Verses continues to #13.]

After a cover version was featured on the TV sitcom series "Liver Birds" in the early 1970s, the song was revived. In a rootsweb London archive post Joanna Coventry said:

At the beginning of the 1970s only a few lines of this game-song seem to have been remembered; but in 1975-6 versions such as the above were collected in quick succession from 9 year olds in Salford, from an 8 year old at Wool in Dorset and from 10 year olds in Oxford…. The words are virtually those of the game, "There stands a lady," published by Cecil Sharp in 1912 and

most of the children had learnt the song from a young man with a guitar on the TV schools programme “Music Time” . . This extended version belongs to the period 1920-25; but the first four lines have been continuously popular in the skipping rope, as well as forming the basis of a simple ring game first noted in 1913.

* * * *

By the mid-1900s the short ring game songs had become popular skipping songs also called, "jump-rope songs," with a new variation of the first line (also is the title)-- "On the Mountain Stands a Lady." These songs, my F, were popular throughout the UK and in the US and Canada as well. The standard rope jumping version begins:

On the mountain stands a lady,

Who she is I do not know,

All she wants is gold and silver,

All she wants is a nice young man. [Lucy Stewart Aberdeenshire, 1960] [8]

After this a new child is asked to come in (called by name) to jump rope and one of the participating jumpers is asked to leave (called to leave).

Come in my dear [name],

Go out my dear [name].

The invitation ("come in" or "calling in") of another player who replaces the old player in the center of the ring or rope is the most common version known in the last fifty years and many children from the 1950s up to today have learned this basic version. That these later game songs were widely popular in the UK was corroborated by a tabulation by the Opies[9] in 1997 who noted the "On the Mountain" game song "from sixty-five places since 1950."

Additional stanzas have been added to the skipping texts of F. My G has extra stanzas similar to the additional stanzas of C found in other children's game (Sally Water/Walker) of the late 1800s. In this version[10] from South London in 1974 these additional lines are added:

So go to your__, dear,

And make it Mrs___

How many kisses did he give you?

One, two, three. . .

Will you marry him?

Yes, no, yes. . .

How many babies will you have?

One, two, three. . .

Do you love him?

Yes, no, yes. . .

The way the additional lines of the game were enacted were described by schoolgirls from Huish Episcopi, Somerset in a recording[11]: A girl is skipping in the middle while the girls sing "Will you marry him?" When they sing "Yes, no yes, no. . ." the rope stops swinging and if they were singing "yes" when it stopped-- that is the answer for the girl in the middle-- "Yes" she will marry him. The other questions are answered similarly.

* * * *

Ian Turner collected a number of versions in Australia (see: Cinderella Dressed in Yella, New York, 1972). Here's one reprinted in The Bulletin of Sydney (December, 1998) that has the second verse in the third person:

Here stands a lovely creature,

Who she is I do not know.

Will she answer for her beauty,

Will she answer Yes or No.

No, she won't have gold and silver

No, she won't have house or land

No, she won't have ships on the ocean.

All she wants is a nice young man.

This version and another collected in 1952 in England by the Opies have the familiar "Madam" first stanza which is the older form of the children's song.

* * * *

The appearance of these children's songs based on text of "Madam" can only be traced to the 1870s with the "There stands a Lady on the Mountain" stanza dating to the early 1880s. Whether the new "There stands a Lady on the Mountain" stanza is derived from the wooing folk plays is unknown, but at least two versions suggest the possibility[12]. The children's songs can't be traced to the mid-1700s broadsides of "Madam" and have an assumed origination date no earlier than the mid-1800s. The earliest appearance of the more modern "On a Mountain Stands a Lady" first line is 1914 where it appears without attribution in John Hornby's "The Joyous Book of Singing Games," published in New York. The "On a Mountain Stands a Lady" versions associated with skipping rope are products of the early 1900s which became popular by the mid-1900s.

In this cursory study no attempt has been made to secure every available version and a number of known versions, available in books which I do not have access, are not given.

Footnotes:

1. Although hardly "modern" in the strict sense, these versions appeared in Britain in after World War II. The first published version was Horby's in 1914 by a NY publisher.

2. This is the standard modern stanza found in the 1950s and on skipping games. One variation is "On the hillside."

3. This is from earliest extant version of "Madam," titled "The Lovely Creature" ("Yonder sits a Lovely Creature") which was printed at Aldermary Churchyard by one of the Dicey/Marshall dynasty and is dated about 1760.

4. The early print versions (c. 1760s) have "gold and treasure" but many subsequent versions have "gold and silver." The plough plays also have "gold and silver."

5. See Opie 1952 and Turner 1976.

6. See, for example, the version from Kentucky dated 1930 but recreated from informants who learned it in the late 1800s.

7. Although some admixture is found in "Madam" and Keys," there are clearly different ballads and should not be lumped.

8. This is standard with slight variation throughout the UK, Canada, US and Australia.

9. See: "Children's games with things: marbles, fivestones, throwing and Catching, Gambling, Hopscotch, Chucking and Pitching, Ball-Bouncing, Skipping, Tops and Tipcat" by Iona Archibald Opie, ‎Peter Opie - 1997.

10. See: The Lore of the Playground: One hundred years of children's games, by Steve Roud - 2010.

11. From: Opie collection of children's games & songs C898-76-02. The children perform the singing game 'On a Hillside Stands a Lady' (a variation of 'On a Mountain Stands a Lady') [00:00:58 - 00:01:59] http://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/Opie-collection-of-children-s-games-and-songs-/021M-C0898X0077XX-0100V0”…

12. Two hybrid versions are the 1952 "folk" version collected by the Opies and a version collected by Ian Turner from The Bulletin of Sydney (12.3.98)."...
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note
This page includes a lengthy list of individual versions that can be accessed on that website.

The earliest example listed is http://bluegrassmessengers.com/1madam-i-am-come-to-court-you--lon-halliwell-1846.aspx
"Earliest source: Madam, I Am Come to Court You- (Lon) Halliwell 1846

Madam I Am Come to Court You- (Lon) Halliwell 1846

[From Halliwell's 1846 book, "The Nursery Rhymes of England, obtained principally from oral tradition.]"
-R. Matteson 2017

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

What Is The Name Of This Ghanaian Hand Clap Game?

Hand clap game in Ghana

Star of Hope Play, Nov 21, 2021

Some kids at one of our school play a hand clap game during a class break.

For this game like many others the kids needs coordination and speed to keep up!

]…]

Comments are turned off.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a 2021 YouTube video of a Ghanaian hand clap game.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in this video and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I happened to come across this Ghanaian hand clap game while i was scrolling YouTube videos of children's recreational rhymes and singing games.

I'd love to know more about this hand clap game.

What is its name and how is it played?

Is this hand game traditional to Ghana, West Africa?

Is this game or a similar game played in other countries besides Ghana? If so, in what other countries is this game (or a similar game played?)

Is this game usually played by girls only or is it usually played by girls and boys together?

Does this hand game have a song that is sung or chanted while doing the hand claps and the other hand motions? If so, what are the words to that song? [Original language and English translation, please)

What are the usual ages for those who play this game?

Do you remember playing this game? If so when (year or decade) and where did you first learn this game?

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Friday, May 1, 2026

What "Fly", "Fly Girl" & "Fly Guy" Mean In African American Slang (reprint of 2013 pancocojams post with comments)

Boogie Boys - A Fly Girl

FunkyVinylJunkie, December 12, 2007

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the meanings of the African American Vernacular English terms "fly", "fly girl", and "fly guy".

This post also showcases some YouTube examples of records entitled "Fly Girl" or records that include the term "fly", "fly guy" or "fly girl" in their lyrics.

In addition, this pancocojams post provides some cultural examples of those words in books, on television, as well as text (word only) examples of foot stomping cheers with the title "Fly Girl from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s.

This is a complete reprint of a 2013 pancocojams post with this title (with some minor formatting changes. That 2013 post was substantially revised after I published it as a result of visitor comments.(Read the section below entitled "Pancocojams Editor's Note"). That revised 2013 pancocojams post is still available on this blog and its comment section is still open..

This 2026 post also includes an urbandictionary.com definition for "fly" that isn't included in that original or revised 2013 pancocojams post.

The Addendum of this post presents all of the comments from the 2013 pancocojams post on this subject (as of May 1, 2026 at 4:07 PM.). Additional comments may still be added to that 2013 post and comments may be added to this 2026 post.

The content of this post is provided for linguistic, historic, socio-cultural, entertainment, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the composers & performers of the "Fly Girl" records. Thanks to all who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of the YouTube videos that are embedded in this pancocojams post.

Special thanks to all of the commenters who shared their knowledge about the word African American meanings of the adjective "fly" and in so doing corrected the inaccurate information that I shared in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE (May 1, 2026)
To clarify, my original 2013 post was inaccurate because it didn't include the definition of "fly girl" or "fly guy" as stylish dressers. Instead, I focused on the definition that I believe was used in the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s by Black girls who performed foot stomping cheers - a "fly girl" was a hip, self-confident, street wise, sexy girl who was up to date with the latest Black urban cultural lifestyle (such as dances and lingo).

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WHAT "FLY" MEANS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH
1. An African American Vernacular English meaning of "fly" is someone who is stylishly attired in the latest fashions (according to the criteria of African American urban culture) and is also "hip" to the latest urban cultural mores such as lingo, dances etc..

In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, it appears to me that the most commonly used noun form of "fly" was "fly girl". The meaning of "fly girl" that I believe was most common in those decades was a female who was/is not only stylishly attired (according to African American urban standards), but also "hip" to other aspects of that culture (such as its lingo and its latest dances.)

A "fly guy" referred to a male who was a stylish dresser and is hip to African American urban culture. The term "fly guy" may have been used less often than "fly girl" in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s especially in the mass media.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-partial-timeline-for-positive.html for the 2020 pancocojams post entitled "A Partial Timeline For Positive Meanings For The Word "Fly" In African American Culture".

****
2.From https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly
"fly (adj.)

slang, "clever, alert, wide awake," by 1811, perhaps from fly (n.) on the notion of the insect being hard to catch. Other theories, however, trace it to fledge or flash. Slang use in 1990s might be a revival or a reinvention."
-snip-
The slang meanings of being "hip" or being "cool" can have similar meanings to being "clever, alert, and wide awake".

**
3. [This is an excerpt from https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/06/muhammad-alis-float-like-butterfly.html "Muhammad Ali's "Float Like A Butterfly Sting Like A Bee" Line & Its Use In "Fly Girl" Foot Stomping Cheers", published by Azizi Powell, June 4, 2016]

Pancocojams Editor's Note: In African American Vernacular English a "fly girl" is a hip, street wise, self-confident young female.

Here's a definition of a "fly girl" from
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fly%20girl
"flygirl
A flygirl is a sexy chic with a swag all her own. She is confident and just exudes hawtness! Her outfit fits right in with her personality and she is always the shutter of all things down!
She shut that club DOWN last night. Thats what I call a FLYGIRL!
#fly #confident #sexy #swagged #hot stuff"
by Flygirl617 August 09, 2010"
-end of quote-
This is the definition of "fly girl" that I believe was used by girls performing foot stomping cheers (Read examples of those cheers below.) .

****
HOW FLY GOT ITS SLANG MEANINGS [Revised October 10, 2020]
From http://www.word-detective.com/page/163/?3S9tVfvFI4TamAWNg4DADA&ved=0CB8QFjAC&usg=AFQjCNEBYbKDRQ7Pe3qZ236ksc_V4Fs6Lw&wpmp_switcher=desktop [This link is no longer active.]

"Word Detective: October 23, 2011

"Fly"
..."The adjective “fly” first appeared in slang with this sense of “sharp” or “in the know” in the early 19th century (“The rattling cove is fly; the coachman knows what we are about,” 1811); later in the century it also came to mean “dexterous, nimble” (“We’ll knap a fogle with fingers fly,” 1839). The “in the know” usage, which was originally largely confined to the criminal underworld, percolated out into general slang in the mid-19th century with the meaning of “smart, fashionable” and eventually “excellent, cool, attractive.” This sense took root in African-American slang in the mid-20th century, and was very common in rap and hip-hop culture starting in the 1980s or so.

Just where this use of “fly” as an adjective came from is a bit of a mystery. Most authorities regard it as most likely connected in some way to the verb “to fly” (from the Old English “fleogan,” from an Indo-European root meaning “to float or fly”), but no one has ever come up with a plausible explanation of the connection. (The noun “fly” originally meant simply “insect with wings,” and was applied to any insect that could fly, such as the butterfly.)

There are, of course, several theories about the origin of the adjective “fly.” Perhaps the simplest ties the “clever, in the know, not easily fooled” sense to the common fly, always vigilant and almost impossible to catch off-guard. The fact that this slang “fly” originated in the underworld, where scams and ruses were the rule and to let one’s guard down could be fatal, gives this theory some plausibility. Another theory, offered by the eminent slang etymologist Eric Partridge, suggests that this “fly” is actually a form of “fledge,” which we use to mean “mature” (as in “full-fledged”), but originally referred to a young bird that had grown enough feathers to fly. Since “fledge” is rooted in “fly” itself, we’re still in the ballpark with the verb “to fly” with that theory. Another theory suggests that “fly” was originally “fla,” a short form of “flash,” used in the 18th and 19th century as slang meaning “clever, in the know” (from “flash” meaning “intense light,” in this case a metaphor for intelligence)."

***
Excerpt #2
From https://www.etymonline.com/word/fly#:~:text=slang%2C%20%22clever%2C%20alert%2C,a%20revival%20or%20a%20reinvention.

"fly (adj.)
slang, "clever, alert, wide awake," by 1811, perhaps from fly (n.) on the notion of the insect being hard to catch. Other theories, however, trace it to fledge or flash. Slang use in 1990s might be a revival or a reinvention."
-snip-
The words "hip" and "cool" are quite similar in meaning to "clever, alert, and wide awake".

****
EXAMPLES OF THE SLANG MEANING OF "FLY" IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE

1. -"Super Fly is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime drama film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. and starring Ron O'Neal as Youngblood Priest, an African American pimp and cocaine dealer who is trying to quit the underworld drug business. The film is well known for its soundtrack, written and produced by soul musician Curtis Mayfield. It was released on August 4, 1972.

O'Neal reprised his role as Youngblood Priest in the 1973 film Super Fly T.N.T., which he also directed. Producer Sig Shore directed a second sequel, The Return of Superfly, released in 1990, with Nathan Purdee as Priest. A remake was released in 2018."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Fly_(1972_film)

**
2. Here's a portion of a comment that was sent in to this pancocojams post by Mambo207 on September 14
"... the term "fly" goes back to the 1970s. At least that's how it was in New York City. It had to do with being stylish; now, if you were ultra-stylish, then you would be considered Super Fly. Back in the 70s, there used to be a men's shop on 42nd Street called The Super Fly Boutique. Remember, there was also a film that came out in the 70s called Super Fly. It was about a drug dealer who was trying to get out of the business; however, he was "fly" because of his clothes, and his customized Eldorado pimpmobile.

I've always liked this term, and I still use it today"
-end of quote

**
3. January 5, 1980 - Sugarhill Gang's Hip Hop record "Rappers Delight" was released.

Here's the line in that track that includes the word "fly":
"Check it out, I'm the C-A-S-A, the N-O-V-A,

And the rest is F-L-Y,"...

**
4. The phrase "fly girl" was popularized by the Boogie Boys' 1985 Hip-Hop record with that title.

Given the differing descriptions of the term "fly girl" in the lyrics of that Hip Hop record, my guess is that when that song was recorded, the slang meanings of "fly" hadn't become fixed yet. However, this verse by Romeo JD best fits what a "fly girl" has come to mean in African American culture and elsewhere (judging from the comments in YouTube discussion threads of this song from women who said they were "fly girls" and still are "fly girls":

"…A fly girl a fly girl a fly girl a fly girl

A fly girl a fly girl a fly girl a fly girl

{A flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy [fades down]}

A fly girl a fly girl a fly girl a fly girl

{A flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy [fades down]}

[Romeo JD]

Well I'm Rome JD and I have learned

Fly girl is a name that you must earn

Fly girl's a girl who speak their mind

Some sneaky some freaky some mean some kind

Cold crush waves, fly Jheri curl

Gold watch, gold ring, and a neck full of pearls

Real slim waist, a made-up face

Head turns, eyes burn when she comes in the place

Perfume from France, put you in a trance

Fly enough to mingle, to fly dance

High-stakers, big money makers

Some fly girls are cold heart breakers

Bank accounts of unbelievable amounts

Very picky bout how their name's pronounced

Designer purse, leather mini skirt

Not a speck of dirt, can't help but flirt

She'll make you choke like you inhaled smoke

She gave you a number, it was dial-a-joke

You got a real nice voice, you'll be her choice

Till another man comes in a fly Rolls-Royce

The guys get jealous, how can you blame us?

You live a lifestyle of the rich and famous

To play your roll guys lose control

Picturin' you as a center fold

From the Rome JD, cest-la-vie

Each and every one a y'all too much for me

Could it be your style or the way you smile

That puts you on the top of the pile?

Queen of the Nile, o sweet child

Fly girl you drive me wild (you drive me wild)"
-snip-

A sound file of the Boogie Boy's "Fly Girl" record is given below.

**
5. 1985-Plebblee Poo (female singer) - A Fly Guy (Part 1 and Part II)

**
6. By at least Sept. 1991, as evidenced by Queen Latifah's Hip Hop record "Fly Girl", the word "fly" when used to describe a female clearly moved beyond the meaning of "dressed in the latest fashions" to include the meanings “fine” (physically attractive), and "street wise" (able to handle oneself in urban street cultures).

An excerpt of the lyrics of Queen Latifah's "Fly Girl" is found below.]

**
7.In his 1993 Hip Hop record "I Get Around" Tupac brags about how he's a "fly guy" who easily scores with the ladies & then leaves them:

"baby got a problem saying bye bye
Just another hazard of a fly guy"
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/I-Get-Around-lyrics-2Pac/BF82D7758D3AF2DA4825686A000CF3B0
-snip-
My original interpretation that Tupac was saying that these actions were typical or essential characteristics for being a "fly guy". instead, I believe that Tupac meant that those characteristics were his view of how a fly guy acts.

8. The 2005 Hip Hop track "Stay Fly" by Three 6 Mafia is an example of the slang use of the term "fly".

The hook to that Hip Hop track is "I gotta stay fly, until I die" (rapped four times).

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS

Example #1 - Boogie Boys - A Fly Girl

This video is at the top of this pancocojams post.
-snip-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Boys
"The Boogie Boys were an American old school hip-hop group from Harlem, New York. They scored one big hit in 1985 with "A Fly Girl", from the album "City Life", that peaked at number six on the R&B charts."

****
Example #2: Queen Latifah - Fly Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGMXKhJrPo&ab_channel=TommyBoy

Tommy Boy, October 29, 2018

Fly Girl from the album, "Nature of a Sista" by Queen Latifah 1991.

****
PORTIONS OF LYRICS FROM TWO "FLY GIRL" RECORDS
From http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/boogie-boys-lyrics/a-fly-girl-lyrics.html
FLY GIRL
(as performed by the Boogie Boys)
...[Romeo JD]
Well I'm Rome JD and I have learned
Fly girl is a name that you must earn
Fly girl's a girl who speak their mind
Some sneaky some freaky some mean some kind
Cold crush waves, fly Gherri curl
Gold watch, gold ring, and a neck full of pearls
Real slim waist, a made-up face
Head turns, eyes burn when she comes in the place
Perfume from France, put you in a trance
Fly enough to mingle, to fly dance
High-stakers, big money makers
Some fly girls are cold heart breakers
Bank accounts of unbelievable amounts
Very picky bout how their name's pronounced
Designer purse, leather mini skirt
Not a speck of dirt, can't help but flirt
She'll make you choke like you inhale smoke
She gave you a number, it was dial-a-joke
You got a real nice voice, you'll be her choice
Till another man comes in a fly Rolls-Royce
The guys get jealous, how can you blame us?
You live a lifestyle of the rich and famous
To play your roll guys lose control
Picturin' you as a center fold
From the Rome JD, cest-la-vie
Each and every one a y'all too much for me
Could it be your style or the way you smile
That puts you on the top of the pile?
Queen of the Nile, o sweet child
Fly girl you drive me wild (you drive me wild
-snip-
From http://www.lyricsfreak.com/q/queen+latifah/fly+girl_10237192.html
"FLY GIRL"

(as performed by Queen Latifah)

... (desire) i know you want me
(you're fine) thank you
But i'm not the type of girl that you think i am
I don't jump into the arms of every man
(but i'm paid) i don't need your money
(i love you) you must be mad
Easy lover is something that i ain't
Besides, i don't know you from a can of paint…

(fly girl, fly girl)
(come here, cuz you're sexy and you're fine)
(and i want you to be mine)
(fly girl, fly girl)
(have no fear, your heart is in good hands)
(won't you let me be your man?)...

****
SEVERAL ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF THE USE OF THE SLANG TERM "FLY" IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
Example #1: Girls' foot stomping cheer*
FLY GIRL
All: Fly girl
Fly girl
Fly girl One
Fly girl Two
Pump it up Teresa
See what you do.
Soloist #1:(Oh) my name is Teresa
and I’m a fly girl.
It takes a lot of men
to rock my world.
‘cause I can fly like a butterfly
sting like a bee
and that’s way they call me
Sexy...

[The next soloist repeats the exact words of this cheer (except her name or nickname). Continue this pattern until every girl in the group has had a turn as the soloist.]
-Tazi M. Powell, (African American female, memories of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid 1980s)

*"Foot stomping cheers" is an informal recreational activity which is (or was) usually performed by African American girls ages 7-12 years. The text of "foot stomping cheers" are structurally distinctive from other cheerleader cheers and/or from other children's folk compositions such as handclap rhymes.

****
Example #2: "Fly Girl" dancers on primarily African American television show In Living Color
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Living_Color
"In Living Color is a sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program...

The Fly Girls
The show employed an in-house dance troupe, known as the "The Fly Girls..."

Here's a link to a compilation video of "In Living Color" The Fly Girls dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExLQFMFgg40&ab_channel=HowieKemperVideo

****
Example #3: Flyy Girl book by African American author Omar Tyree
From http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/290039.Flyy_Girl
Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree Published August 7th 2001 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1993)
"The bestselling urban classic novel about a young woman coming of age in the late 1980s. Tracy Ellison, a young knockout with tall hair and attitude, is living life as fast as she can. Motivated by the material world, she and her friends love and leave the young men who will do anything to get next to them. It's only when the world of gratuitous sex threatens heartbreak that Tracy begins to examine her life, her goals, and her sexuality."

****
Example #4: Lyrics to a version of the Iota Phi Theta Centaur Walk Song/Chant,
From Iota Phi Theta member Dwayne Dixon in Elizabeth C. Fine: Soulstepping: African American Step Shows (Urbana & Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 2003; p 61
I say, my bro-thers....
-Yeah?
I say, Who's fly?
-I Phi!

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/iota-phi-theta-fraternity-inc-centaur.html for more information about the Centaur Walk and the Centaur Walk Song.

****
ADDENDUM- COMMENTS FROM THE 2013 PANCOCOJAMS POST ON THIS SUBJECT

AnonymousJanuary 18, 2014 at 3:39 AM
"Fly Guy" goes back as early as 1979. That term is used in the hit song "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang.

ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousJune 24, 2015 at 2:30 AM
The term goes back at least to the mid 40s when it was used in a song by Nat King Cole in what is obviously its current sense. I can't remember the name of the song offhand but he sings 'I'm a fly guy, not a shy guy.'
ReplyDelete
Replies
Mambo207September 15, 2015 at 4:42 AM
Hey Azizi,

Thanks for this post. Actually the term "fly" goes back to the 1970s. At least that's how it was in New York City. It had to do with being stylish; now, if you were ultra-stylish, then you would be considered Super Fly. Back in the 70s, there used to be a men's shop on 42nd Street called The Super Fly Boutique. Remember, there was also a film that came out in the 70s called Super Fly. It was about a drug dealer who was trying to get out of the business; however, he was "fly" because of his clothes, and his customized Eldorado pimpmobile.

I've always liked this term, and I still use it today. Thanks again for the post. Peace.
ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousOctober 15, 2024 at 1:37 PM
As an African American who grew up in the 70s fly for a man wasn't specifically about his sexual conquests it was about his style. In Tupac's lyrics he says the "hazards of a fly guy" because style for anyone is a quality that can make one attractive to someone else but sexual conquest isn't being fly. I don't understand the assumption regarding sexual conquest as a quality of flyness. It may be what can make people popular and attractive. This is an intergenerational term that speaks to one's sense of personal style which is reflective of one's creativity and being current in terms of art and fashion. It is not about sexual pursuits and none of these references support that take.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Azizi PowellMay 1, 2026 at 4:07 PM

My apology for just adding links to this post almost two years after I said I would do so.

Here are links to four additional posts that I've published about the African American Vernacular terms "fly", "fly girl", and "fly guy":

2016 -"Muhammad Ali's "Float Like A Butterfly Sting Like A Bee" Line & Its Use In "Fly Girl" Foot Stomping" https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/06/muhammad-alis-float-like-butterfly.html

**
2000 - https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-history-of-word-fly-meaning.html "The History Of The Word "Fly" Meaning Something Good & Comments About That Vernacular Use Of "Fly" In The USA In The 2000s"

**
2000- https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-history-of-word-fly-meaning.html "The History Of The Word "Fly" Meaning Something Good & Comments About That Vernacular Use Of "Fly" In The USA In The 2000s"

and
2026 -https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/05/what-fly-fly-girl-fly-guy-mean-in.html "What "Fly", "Fly Girl" & "Fly Guy" Mean In African American Slang (reprint of 2013 pancocojams post with comments)"

Delete

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Viewer comments are welcome.

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Sunday, May 3, 2026

"On A Mountain Stands A Lady" (Part II- A Facebook Post About A 2012 Isle Of Man Version With Multiple Comments)

Saturday, May 2, 2026

The History of "On The Mountain Stands A Lady" Children's Singing Game And Recreational Rhyme (Excerpt From bluegrassmessengers.com)

What Is The Name Of This Ghanaian Hand Clap Game?

Friday, May 1, 2026

What "Fly", "Fly Girl" & "Fly Guy" Mean In African American Slang (reprint of 2013 pancocojams post with comments)