Why It's Important To Document & Share Racial Demographics For Children's Recreational Rhymes, Singing Games, Cheers Etc.

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - November 6, 2026 at 8:14 PM

This is a complete reprint of an updated version of a 2021 pancocojams post with the same title. That 2021 post remains on this pancocojams blog and has no comments as of the date of this 2026 publication.

Visitor comments are welcome for both of these posts.

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This pancocojams post presents the reasons why I believe that it is important to document and cite racial/ethnic* demographics when collecting and/or sharing examples of children's recreational rhymes, cheers, singing games, etc.

The Addendum to this pancocojams post presents hyperlinks to pancocojams posts that provide examples of contemporary children's rhymes & cheers which include a racial/ethnic* referent or racial/ethnic referents. 

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.
-snip-
* "Ethnic" in this post refers to Latino/a (Hispanic) as it is used in the United States. People who are Latino/a  (Hispanic) can be of any race.

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MY OVERARCHING REASON FOR INCLUDING RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS
A person collecting and/or sharing children's rhymes and cheers should document as much demographics as possible just as she/he would do when collecting other folkloric material. Demographic information includes the race/ethnicity of the person or people who are chanting/performing the example, the gender, geograhic location, and the date the example was collected as well as information about when and how the person first learned that example. The collector should also document any accompanying performance activity that was performed while chanting this example.

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WHY I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE RACIAL/ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHICS WHEN COLLECTING AND/OR SHARING EXAMPLES OF CHILDREN'S RHYMES AND CHEERS

(These reasons are given in no particular order.)

I believe that including racial demographics when documenting children's recreational rhymes

1. helps document/demonstrate that racial group’s creativity. 

(Children's rhymes/cheers are legitimate examples of a population's cultural expression as are other genres of music and oral or written compositions that are created by and for adults.) 

2. helps document/demonstrate the chanter’s attitudes and/or some of that racial group’s attitudes & opinions about their race/ethnicity

3. helps document/demonstrate the chanter’s attitude & opinions and/or some of that racial group’s attitude about other people’s race/ethnicity

4. helps document/demonstrate the chanter’s attitude & opinions and and/or some of that racial group’s attitude about other things in their world (i.e. gender, parents, romantic relationships etc.)

5. helps document/demonstrate what slang and other things were/are interesting to specific populations during that time period

6. helps explain the meaning of certain slang words and saying which are found in certain rhymes and/or identify a particular person who is mentioned in rhyme

For instance, the word "jive" has had a number of slang meanings over time. However, in some examples of  "Hula Hula" cheers that I've come across in the early to mid 2000s, "don't take no jive" means that the person is not going to let anyone "mess over" her (i.e. say or do anything foolish to her or problematic with or for her.

And the line "hangin out with Genuwine" in at least one of those same cheers means "spending time relaxing with the rapper whose stage name is Genuwine.

7. helps document/demonstrate how certain types of rhymes are preferred by certain populations during that time period and how those preferences' might have changed over time

8. helps document/demonstrate the same or different preferences for certain types of rhymes among different populations within the same nation in the same time period

For instance, it seems to me that gross out rhymes such as "Great green gobs of greasy grimey gopher guts" aren't as well known among African Americans as they are among White Americans.

9. helps document/demonstrate how certain performance activities are preferred by certain populations during that time period

For instance, it appears to me that most Black children's hand clapping rhymes are percussive and usually include accompanying syncopated performance activities such as hand clapping and/or foot stomping 

10. helps document how specific rhymes are found in various cities, states, and/or regions of a nation and/or in various nations of the world.

Besides having that information for the historical/cultural record, this information is useful for comparing and contrasting geographical locations and/or documenting what makes a specific location distinctive in a particular time.

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ADDENDUM: SOME PANCOCOJAMS POSTS THAT INCLUDE OF CHILDREN'S RHYMES/CHEERS THAT INCLUDE EXAMPLES OF RACE

Here are some pancocojams posts on children's recreational rhymes and cheers that include my comments about the influence of race/ethnicity on the composition/meanings of those rhymes/cheers and other points about the influence of race/ethnicity on how these examples are performed and more:   

Conceptualizing, Collecting, & Sharing Contemporary Black Children's Rhymes
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/conceptualizing-collecting-sharing.html

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Race Mentioned In Contemporary Children's Recreational Rhymes
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/04/childrens-recreational-rhymes-that.html

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Selected Examples Of Referents For Black People In Children's Rhymes
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/selected-examples-of-referents-for.html

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The REAL Origin Of The Word "Ungawa" & Various Ways That Word Has Been Used In The USA
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-real-origins-of-word-ungawa-various.html

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Racialized Versions Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html

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Examples Of & Comments About The Children's Rhyme "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea, I Like Sitting On A Black Man's Knee"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/examples-of-comments-about-childrens.html

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The REAL Meanings Of "The Spades Go" & "The Space Go" In Playground Rhymes
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-real-meaning-of-spades-go-space-go.html

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Visitor comments are welcome. 

What "One Mississippi; Two Mississipi" Etc. Counting Technique Mean & Examples Of "One Mississippi", "Two Mississippi" In American Children's Recreational Rhymes

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents the explanation for the use of the phrase "One Mississippi", "Two Mississippi" etc. as a technique for counting seconds (of time).

This post also presents some examples of American children's recreational rhymes that include the phrase "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi" (or similar phrases). Note: These phrases in children's rhymes don't have the same "counting seconds (of time)" meaning that they have elsewhere.

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

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.  
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/11/the-1916-song-m-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i-and.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "The 1916 Song M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I And 20th Century Spelling "Mississippi" Children's Rhymes/Songs."

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/names-of-cities-states-or-nations-in.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Names Of Cities, States, Or Nations In Children's Hand Clap Rhymes & Other Recreational Rhymes (Complete Reprint)".

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WHAT THE "ONE MISSISSIPPI", "TWO MISSISSIPPI" ETC COUNTING TECHNIQUE MEANS 

Source #1
From https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-significance-of-counting-one-Mississippi-two-Mississippi-and-so-on

1. Gary Allen, 2015
"It's a childish practice to approximate the passing of a second. Because the word is so long, the intervals between the numbers are around one second of time, depending on how conscientious the child is in speaking it. It's traditionally used by children playing hide-and-go-seek as a means of ensuring that the seeker does an honest count to 50 or whatever the hiding-time period is supposed to be."

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2. Tom Coltharp, 2015
"The significance is that it takes about 1 second to say "one Mississippi". So it's a good way to count a number of seconds. "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi" would take about 3 seconds to say. Other long words _could_ be used."

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3. Renutewari, 2016
"It's a way of counting seconds without clock. Time taken in saying ‘One Mississippi’ is one second. Saying ‘One Mississippi, Two Mississippi’ equals two seconds and so on. That's it :)"

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Source #2
From https://www.reddit.com/r/linguistics/comments/7bia76/origin_of_using_mississippi_when_counting/
Gnorrn, 2017
"It is mentioned in the 1936 book How to Use Psychology in Business, during a somewhat bizarre passage about conserving energy when climbing stairs:

Various methods of using muscles yield varying efficiencies. In climbing stairs, for instance, the most efficient rate is one step about every second; every 1.2 seconds, to be exact. This can be gauged individually, without the help of a stop watch, by counting: "One -- Mississippi; two -- Mississippi; three -- Mississippi; etc." This comes close to indicating a second on each count. Stair climbing is actually about fifteen times as energy consuming as covering the same distance on the level.

EDIT: It's worth browsing some more sections of the book -- the whole thing is utterly bizarre, bringing to mind the dystopian workplace depicted in Chaplin's Modern Times (which, as it happens, was released the very same year: 1936).

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Source #3
From https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hjwv40/many_americans_use_one_mississippi_two_to_count/ "Many Americans use  "one Mississippi, two.." to count seconds..." 
r/AskReddit
1.[deleted], 2020
"Many Americans use "one Mississippi, two.." to count seconds. Non-Americans, what words do you use to help count seconds on the clock?

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2. hugow, 2020
"I'm in the USA and 50yrs old and used to use Mississippi. A few years ago I overheard little kids and they were saying "one dot com", "two dot com", "three dot com"... I died a little inside."

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3. misandrismysognist, 2021
"i’m english but i also use Mississippi ;-;"

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4. CyanManta, 2021
"I'm told it also works with Piccadilly."

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5. cits85, 2021
"Fun fact I learned recently: This works, because the average speaking speed is 4 syllables/second."

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ARE THE WORDS "ONE MISSISSIPPI", TWO MISSISSIPPI" OR SIMILAR PHRASES THAT ARE FOUND IN CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES USED TO COUNT SECONDS?
In children's recreational rhymes the phrases "One Mississippi", Two Mississippi" or similar phrases aren't used to count seconds [in time].

I believe that the original composition of this children's rhyme lifted those "One Mississippi", Two Mississippi" phrases from their use as a seconds (of time)  counting strategy.

Alternatively, the "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi" phrase may have originally been an African American adaptation of the Caribbean counting rhymes "Mosquito One". The words "Mosquito one" weren't ever used as a way of counting seconds in time.*

Instead of being used as a technique for counting seconds, the words "One  "One Mississippi", Two Mississippi" or similar phrases being used to count seconds [in time], in American children's rhymes, these phrases were/are used only for their rhythmical vocalization elements and for their rhyming purposes of the last word "two". 
-snip-
*Click ___ for a pancocojams post on examples of the Caribbean counting rhymes "Mosquito One"

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SOME EXAMPLES OF AMERICAN CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES THAT INCLUDE THE PHRASES "ONE MISSISSIPPI", "TWO MISSISSIPPI" OR SIMILAR PHRASES
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Source #1
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51A3Zlw86dk&t=1s "Mood of the MAGA meeting by "Maighstir Tarot, Nov 4, 2026
@laurieburghardt8392, Nov. 5, 2026
"I can’t hear the word without singing  “M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i” we used to sing as a child to spell the name.. Or we would count, “1 Mississippi , 2 Mississippi , 3 Mississippi, etc”
-snip-
This comment is also included in https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/11/comments-from-maighstir-tarot-youtube.html "Comments From A Maighstir Tarot (YouTube Channel) Transcript & Discussion Thread About Whether Democratic Candidate Scott Colom, A Black Man, Won Mississippi's United State Senate Election (October 2026)"

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Source #2
[Pancocojams Editor's note: The "One Mississippi" etc. words (or similar wording) are given in italics for highlighting purposes only.

From https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/lemonade-a-handclapping-rhyme/comment-page-1/
"Lemonade, a handclapping rhyme" comments, page 1, Mama Lisa.com

1. Jade Says:
August 29th, 2017
"How I remember it is…

Lemonade, ice tea,

Coca-cola, Pepsi,

Mama had a baby,

Daddy’s going crazy,

First Mississippi said stop (stop),

Second Mississippi said stop (stop),

Third Mississippi said keep on going till your hands get red and hot

(keep going until someone messes up not saying anything)."

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2. lillia legend Says:
April 24th, 2019
"I learned two the first like this:

Lemonade, [ clap 3 times ]
crunchy ice, [ clap 3 times ]
check it once, [ clap 3 times ]
check it twice, [ clap 3 times ]
lemonade, crunchy ice, check it once, check it twice
turn around,
touch the ground,
get back up,
and break it down.

 

The second like this:

Lemonade,
Iced tea,
Coca-cola,
Pepsi,
Momma’s havin’ babies,
Daddy’s goin’ crazy,
One Mississippi says stop,
Two Mississippi says stop,
Three Mississippi says keep on going ’till you mess up.

Sing like on american idol

 cheese; word."
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"American Idol" was a popular American television talent competition.

"Cheese" in this rhyme means "to make a big, wide smile".

In the 1990s "Word" was a commonly used informal African American Vernacular English term that means "I agree with what you said" ("That's right"). That term is a shortened form of the saying 'Word to the mother" which means "I swear on my mother that what I am saying is true." 

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3.  Kaydin Says:
April 24th, 2021
"I remember it like this:

Lemonade (clap x3)
Ice Tea (clap x3)
Coca Cola (clap x3)
Pepsi (clap x3)
Turn around
Touch The Ground
Kick Your Boyfriend Out Of Town
And Freeze Like American Cheese

(claps while saying) First Mississippi Says Stop
(claps while saying) Second Mississippi Says Stop
(claps while saying) Third Mississippi Says
 Keep On Going Till Your Hands Get Red And Hot
Like The Cherry On Top

(continues clapping until one stops)"

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Will Mississippi's Democratic Candidate Scott Colom (A Black Man) Win The 2026 Election For United State Senator? (Comments From YouTube's Maighstir Tarot Discussion Thread)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision (title change) -November 7, 2026

This pancocojams post presents an excerpt from the preface to a Maighstir Tarot video* and some discussion thread comments about a Black Man, Scott Colom, who is Mississippi's Democratic candidate for the October 4, 2026 United States midterm election against the incumbent Senator, Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith.

*The bulk of the video is on a different subject and therefore isn't embedded in this pancocojams post.

Read the background section below that provides information from the New York Times (as of November 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM EST) about this political race.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Australian tarot card reader Libby for sharing her psychic gifts with the world on her "Maighstir Tarot" YouTube channel. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. 
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r_5xyM9OX8 for a 2025 Scott Colom campaign ad entitled "Mississippi Matters".

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EXCERPT FROM A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ABOUT THE UNITED STATES SENATE RACE IN MISSISSIPPI (October 2026; midterms)
From https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/11/03/us/elections/results-mississippi-us-senate.html

"Last updated 7:56 p.m. E.T.

 "Mississippi U.S. Senate Election Results

‹ See all Mississippi state results

Latest results from 5:44 PM ET

>95% of votes in 

Candidate        Party    Votes   PercentPct.

Scott Colom

Democrat        466,775           +49.04%49.04%

Cindy Hyde-Smith*incumbent

Republican      464,962           +48.85%48.85

Ty Pinkins

Independent    20,007 +2.10%2.10

[…]

Written by Lindsey Cook:

Ballots in the Mississippi Senate race will still be counted if they arrive by Nov. 10. We may know more on Nov. 13 — the deadline for local election officials to submit their certified results to the Secretary of State. The A.P. has said they may not be able to call the race, which has a razor-thin margin, until the state certification deadline on Dec. 3.

[…]

About this race

Scott Colom, a Democratic prosecutor, has mounted an unexpectedly competitive challenge to Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a first-term Republican who has been reliably aligned with President Trump. Mr. Colom would be the first Black senator elected from the state since Reconstruction.”…
-snip-
Click for information about the United States Reconstruction era "often simply called Reconstruction, was a period in United States history that followed the American Civil War (1861–1865)."...

Among African Americans, the deep South state of Mississippi has long been considered the worst state in the United States when it comes to how African Americans were treated during slavery and political/economic conditions of African Americans since the end of slavery. (For example, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25-U3jNWM for Nina Simone's now classic song "Mississippi Goddam".)

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TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT FROM THIS MAIGHSTIR TAROT VIDEO
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51A3Zlw86dk&t=1s "Mood of the MaL MAGA meeting"
Maighstir Tarot, Nov 4, 2026

This transcript reprint is given without time stamps. I made two spelling corrections-the last name of  Colorado republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and the last name of Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom. 

I haven't added any punctuation and I didn't add any identifying information about people who are mentioned in this excerpt of this video's automatic transcript.

One sentence in this transcript is confusing to read [the portion following the comment about Boebert]. But I left it as is and didn't attempt to suss out what Libby may have meant by that comment.

The time stamps for this transcript excerpt are from around 0.35 to around 3:34.]

..."considering the absolute barnstorming, wave of blue that swashed through um and the whole world was watching and the whole world was like,"Oh my god, we're so excited. We're so excited. We're so excited." 

Well, those of us who are interested in politics and world world matters, etc. are I'm still constantly looking at the um the pbs.org um their their map of the um results, because there's still a couple of places in play. Uh and I'm just the House, you know, the Dems have 237 to the Republicans 147, a lead of 90.

There's still quite a number of places already uh still in play. Um however, um the majority of them look like that they're going to go blue. I mean, there's a lot that are still going to go red, but the majority look like they're going to go blue. Fabulous news. The uh trifecta of evil, Abbott, Paxton, and Patrick all got whitewashed. Absolutely :

Uh looks like Boebert's on the way of uh on her alter, but it does appear that in the other Colorado district three uh herd has overtaken the GOP has overtaken the Democrat there. So we'll see how that one plays out. 

But the one that is really catching my attention, fascinating me like um ah to the depths of my soul that is singing is the Mississippi Senate race. Scott Colom, a black man, a young black man, uh, is leading, has actually pulled ahead with 90 96% of the votes counted. 49% to 48.9. It's incredibly close. But what a historic historic event if Mississippi sends its a black senator to Congress. I [laughter] I want to cry just thinking about it. 

Oh my goodness. I just But there just so many amazing events. I mean, um, uh, South Carolina and North Carolina, uh, both appear to be, um, they're both blue for, um, for the Senate. Virginia is blue. Um, if Mississippi goes blue, oh my goodness, Kansas blue, uh, Iowa blue, Illinois blue. 

I mean, goodness me, what a historic period in time that we are alive. And what an emotional roller coaster we've been on for a a decade or more. Absolutely. Not just this last two years. Not just this last two days, but a decade or more."...

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THAT MAIGHSTIR TAROT DISCUSSION THREAD
(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)

These pancocojams compilation includes all the comments from that discussion thread that refer to Senate candidate Scott Colum as of the date and time of this post's publication. The comments are given "as is" with no spelling corrections.

This compilation doesn't include any identifying or background information about anyone mentioned in these comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51A3Zlw86dk&t=1s 

 1. @patfrench8046, November 4, 2026
"Scott,!!!"

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2. @mytrieprashad1400, November 4, 2026
"Lets pray for him in Mississippi ❤"

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3. @missv73848, November 4, 2026
"It would be nice for you to read on Scott Golom of Mississippi past life.😊 At this point the GOP is this enormous snake pit and the angry snakes are biting each other. Nasty. What an ugly mix of watch your back and grab it before he does. Fleon and Kegs will be bombed. Ruskie would be a spider web just as it was for Assad and wife. "You can check out any time you like but you can never leave." (The Eagles Hotel California) 🖐😻🇺🇲🗽"

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4. @lurklingX, November 4, 2026
"ugh i am rooting SO MUCH for the guy in mississipi!!!! i hadn't heard of him at all till today but i am tossing all my energy and hope behind him! 💙 good man. phenomenal campaign. up against "there are other types of protein" lady. (not that that isn't true but it's like that lady who was saying "everybody dies" or whatever whacka$$ thing that was a while ago and she doubled down at a cemetary.)"

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5. @KarenDavis-y6t, November 4, 2026
"The Mississippi Dem Senate candidate  went to the Trump rally in MS and introduced himself to MAGAs who were outside - he talked to them and asked them what their concerns were - that was brilliant"

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6. @HeidiRichman, November 4, 2026
"If you get a chance, check out Scott Colom’s ads. The meat one is funny, but the Medgar Evers one will really move you. Mississippi has the highest Black population of any state @ 38%. It is beyond exciting that they will have such a gifted and dedicated new Senator to represent them!"

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Reply
7. @nancyslivkoff, November 4, 2026
"@HeidiRichman .  Scott Colom is really impressive.💙🦋"

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Reply
8. @HelenLeach-q9v, November 5, 2026
"@HeidiRichman  still 50,000 votes to count."

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Reply
9. @StephaniePisces, November 5, 2026
"@HeidiRichman  & Libby - a lot of people don't know what SWEET JUSTICE it is for Scott Colom to win this race. He was inspired to run for Senate after what his opponent, incumbent Cindy Hyde Smith, did to him back in 2023.

From an article written by Matthew Rodriguez for the website THEM:

"In 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked Colom, then a district attorney nominated to be a federal judge by President Joe Biden, from serving in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi because of his support for trans rights, per the Free Press. (Hyde-Smith also cited “significant support” for Colom from liberal philanthropist George Soros as weighing “heavily against his nomination.” The Mississippi Independent said Hyde-Smith’s claim was untrue, reporting that although Soros had promoted Colom as a candidate, neither he nor his campaign received direct funding.) "

 

Per the Free Press, Hyde-Smith took advantage of a Senate tradition in which a senator can block a judicial nominee from their home state by refusing to return a document known as a “blue slip” to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Roger Wicker, the senior senator from Mississippi, had approved Colom, but Hyde-Smith refused."

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Reply
10. @remaeburney832, November 4, 2026
"Absolutely brilliant! What a man! Go Mississippi! 🙌💙🌊"

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Reply
11. @annecosgrove2133, November 4, 2026
"I loved when the reporter asked if Scott had any comment about his opponent declaring victory on election night.  His surprised look that turned into a smile meant his initial thought was something he wasn’t going to say on an open mike.  He thought a while, and came back with “Bless her heart!”  His supporters behind him roared with laughter!  I’m looking forward to this wonderful breath of fresh air working on all our behalf in the US Senate.'

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Reply
12. @karenweaver8957, November 4, 2026
"@annecosgrove2133 Reminds me of Church Lady on Saturday Night Live, "Well, Bless Her Little Heart."

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13. @tuppyjo431, November 4, 2026
"I believe with all my heart that Emmit Till is helping Colum in Mississippi❤️❤️"

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Reply
14. @remaeburney832, November 4, 2026
"....and the Spirit of Nolan Wells. 🪽"

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Reply
15. @chickasaw-tall, November 4, 2026
"So many ancestors helping him and all of us."

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Reply
16. @nancicone3264, November 4, 2026
"Yes ❤"

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Reply
17. @beckystone7994, November 4, 2026
"Me too 💙🙏🌈💐"

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Reply
18. @leisaisme, November 5, 2026
"So I live in TN.  My family has been here for generations tho I grew up in Northern Ohio. 

But I know these people.  The racism is real.   But it occurred to me that the Mississippi victory, along with Keisha Lance Bottoms in GA and others might be the REAL meaning behind "the South will rise again"!!  Yay!!! 

A bit sad that they didn't let Justin Pearson win yet, but he's not going away.  He's so much like MLK that I fear for his safety."

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19. @GardenFairy-l6p, November 4, 2026
"Mississippi’s Secretary of State just came out and said that there are no run-off elections for midterms. So it sounds like Colom may need to pay for a recount. This is expensive. He is fundraising right now."

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20. @adriannee.1030, Nov 4, 2026
"I am rooting for Missippi's Scott Colom!!!!"

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21. @laurieburghardt8392, Nov. 5, 2026
"I can’t hear the word without singing  “M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i” we used to sing as a child to spell the name.. Or we would count, “1 Mississippi , 2 Mississippi , 3 Mississippi, etc”

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22. @katherinehague5053, November 5, 2026
"So excited for Mississippi! I live in Louisiana and hoping that a win there can inspire non voters here that yes our votes do matter in traditionally “red states.” There’s a lot of apathy here when it comes to democratic voters sadly"

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23. @marieaug9322, November 5, 2026
"Mississippi where Nolan Wells was k!lled. Prosecutor said nothing happened here. After this they need the Prosecutors job!"

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24. @innocuousmoniker, November 5, 2026
"Oh, Libby--I'm crying, too. I so hope MS goes blue--I have a family member there who really, really needs that affirmation."

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25. @BarbHutchison, November 5, 2026
"We are all watching missippi and Mark Elias is on it Democracy docket"

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The 1916 Song M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I And 20th Century Spelling "Mississippi" Children's Rhymes/Songs

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube audio file of a 1916 song entitled "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" .

This post also presents examples of spelling "Mississippi" children's rhymes and comments about those rhymes.

In addition, this pancocojams post presents a YouTube of female Country singer Bobbie Gentry performing her song "Mississippi Delta" on television in 1968. That song begins with spelling the word "Mississippi".

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

 
Thanks to the known and unknown composers of these songs and rhymes. Thanks to the singers 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/2026/04/names-of-cities-states-or-nations-in.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Names Of Cities, States, Or Nations In Children's Hand Clap Rhymes & Other Recreational Rhymes (Complete Reprint)".

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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/11/what-one-mississippi-two-mississipi-etc.html "What "One Mississippi; Two Mississipi" Etc. Counting Technique Mean & Examples Of "One Mississippi", "Two Mississippi" In American Children's Recreational Rhymes"

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SHOWCASE VIDEO - M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I (1916)

Sheet Music Singer, Nov 4, 2020

A 1916 spelling song. Words by Bert Hanlon. Music by Benny Ryan and Harry Tierney. Published by William Jerome Publishing Corp.

 Lyrics

1. When I was seven years of age

I used to go to school

And when it came to spelling

I was awful as a rule

I couldn’t spell a single word

When “S’s” were concerned

I’ve tried to overcome my lisp

And success came in return

Now that word Mississippi

Was awful hard to spell

But now I will convince you

That I can spell it well

Chorus:

M-I-S S-I-S S-I-P-P-I

That used to be so hard to spell

It used to make me cry

But since I’ve studied spelling

It’s just like pumpkin pie

M-I-S S-I-S S-I-P-P-I

2. A lot of words would puzzle me

Bananas was no cinch

Sasaparilla that was hard though

I’d spell it in a pinch

But words like Cincinnati

Psychological and such

Gee when it came to spelling those

I surely was in Dutch

I can’t spell Cinderella

And sausages that’s tough

But I can spell Mississippi

And believe me that’s enough

---- 

Midi sequence by James Pitt-Payne.

Vocal and video by Fred Feild.
-snip-
Here's information about this 1916 song from an AI Overview write up about MISSIPPI spelling rhymes:
The 1916 Ragtime Novelty Chant
"Other discussions [on Mudcat discussion threads] point to the commercialized spelling song originally written in 1916 by Bert Hanlon, Benny Ryan, and Harry Tierney, which later became a country hit for Red Foley in 1950."... 
-snip- 
Here are most of the comments from the discussion thread of that showcased YouTube video (with numbers added for referencing purposes only):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEkOXEcqD6k

1.@natalya6091, 2020
"Is the expression

" it is like pumpkin pie"

Is an idiom?

What does it mean?

Cheers.

Awaiting your soonest reply."

**
Reply
2. @GLepRagtimeChronicle, 2024
"It's a simile indicating that something is easy."

**
3. @redchandler, 2020
"Kind of remind us me of the mickey mouse club song in that spelling part."

**
Reply
4. @merlin8675309, 2023
"What? Disney stealing?!?!"

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5. @orangie8426, 2023
"I'm 50 years old..

And my grandmother sang this to me all the time when i was around 7 years old..

She passed away from cancer right before Christmas of 1990..

I miss her tremendously..

She was always my guide and mentor..."

**
6. @Bogframe, 2024
"I have been looking for this song for years! I remember it as a "Follow the bouncing ball" cartoon that doesn't seem to exist anywhere but in my memories. Thank you!"

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7. @UrLocalBackupChannelGuy, 2026
"The "MIS-SIS" part sounds like part of the SpongeBob theme song."

**
Reply
8. @atwajesper9434, 2026
"It’s probably the other way around."

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Reply
9. @UrLocalBackupChannelGuy, 2026
"​ @atwajesper9434 I know, since this song came first before SpongeBob."

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EXAMPLES OF & COMMENTS ABOUT SPELLING "MISSISSIPPI"
These examples and comments are from several online sites. These websites are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

"Em" in these comments refer to how the letter "m" is pronounced in the English language.

SOURCE #1
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=59186
[Pancocojams editor's note: Only a few comments in that Mudcat discussion thread (which is still open for comments on November 5, 2026) are about the spelling songs/rhymes/about Mississippi (a deep Southern state in the United States). Most of the comments refer to or provide lyrics of  20th century recordings of songs about that state.

Here are the discussion thread comments about the Mississippi spelling song/rhymes.  These numbers refer to their placement in this pancocojams post and not to when they were published on that Mudcat folk music forum. 

1. Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: Burke
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 12:59 PM

"Em, eye, double ess, eye, double ess, eye, double pea, eye

[something I've forgotten]

Does anyone know the rest of it?"

**
2. Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 27 Apr 03 - 01:10 PM

"Em eye crookity ess crookity ess eye crookity ess crookity ess eye humpback humpback eye. Heard from my wife's Georgia grandfather many years ago."

**
3. Subject: RE: The Songs of Mississippi.
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Apr 03 - 02:51 AM

"Burke, this (from the Levy collection) may not be the one, but a spelling song.

Title: Frances White's Spelling Song M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I.

Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Lyric by Bert Hanlon and Benny Ryan. Melody by Harry Tierney.

Benny Ryan Harry Tierney Publication: New York: William Jerome Publishing Corp., Strand Theatre Bldg., 47th St., 1916.

Form of Composition: strophic with chorus

Instrumentation: piano and voice

First Line: When I was seven years of age I used to go to school

First Line of Chorus: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, That used to be so hard to spell 

~Masato"

**
4. Subject: Lyr Add: MISSISSIPPI DELTA (Bobbie Gentry)
From: Burke
Date: 29 Apr 03 - 06:22 PM

"Here's on that I was thinking of.

MISSISSIPPI DELTA By Bobbie Gentry

M I double S I double S I double P I.

M I double S I double S I double P I.

Right in the middle of the cotton belt,

Down in the Mississippi Delta,

Wearin' last years possum belt,

Smack dab in the Mississippi Delta.

 

Have me a little that Johnny cake,

A little bit of that apple pan dowdy.

Picking them scuppernon's off that vine.

Chigger bite, it's goin' to beat howdy.

 

Ate me a bucket of Muscadine,

Sit on the riverbank after dark.

Drop my line down a crawdad hole,

Do him in with a scaly bark.

 

One-ree-o-ree-ee-reeanni.

Fidderliss-farce-nickory-john-queery-quan.

 

M I double S I double S I double P I.

M I double S I double S I double P I.

Right in the middle of the cotton belt,

Down in the Mississippi Delta,

Wearin' last years possum belt,

Smack dab in the Mississippi Delta.

 

Sittin and scratchin' mosquito bites.

Old fox done give him the slip.

Watchin' the mornin' glories grow,

In Biloxi on an overnight trip.

 

I bet five dollars to win two bits,

Eat a peppermint stick on Sunday.

Ain't no use in'a hurrying up,

Can't leave till a week from Monday.

 

One-ree-o-ree-ee-reeanni.

Fidderliss-farce-nickory-john-queery-quan.

 

In the Mississippi Delta,

Miss-iss-siss-ippi Delta.

 

Mississippi Delta: Bobbie Gentry.

Written by Bobbie Gentry.

(© Northridge Music Company/Universal MCA Music Publishing.)

From "Golden Classics of Bobbie Gentry", © 1998, Collectables.

Originally © 1967, Capitol Records.

Lyrics from www.coquet-shack.com"
-snip-
Here's a YouTube video of Bobbie Gentry singing that song:

Bobbie Gentry- Mississippi Delta

David Frochoso Rubia, Dec 17, 2025

Live Show: "Bobby Gentry" 1968

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKNYeJVWYT8
-snip-
The discussion thread for that video only has one comment as of November 5, 2026. That comment consists of the word "super". 

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SOURCE #2
From https://herecomestheplanet.com/2013/11/20/mississippi/ "Here Comes The Planet.com"
"Mississippi 
by Miss Penny Black, November 20, 2013
"Every time I see the word ‘Mississippi’ I sing that rhyme – ‘Mrs M, Mrs I, Mrs SSI Mrs SSI Mrs PPI.. MISSISSIPPI!’… I hope someone out there knows what I’m talking about or this will look mighty strange. "...
-snip-
The rest of that interior design page consists of photographs and descriptions of the author's luxurious hotel bedroom. 

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SOURCE #3
From https://www.reddit.com/r/DoesAnybodyElse/comments/1ekfmsb/does_anybody_else_remember_how_they_were_taught/ "Does anybody else remember how they were taught to spell Mississippi?", August 5, 2024 

[These are selected comments from that reddit.com discussion thread. These numbers don't necessarily correspond to the numbers on that discussion thread.]

1.  r/DoesAnybodyElse
TabbyVolatile, August 5, 2024
"Does anybody else remember how they were taught to spell Mississippi?

School never actually taught me the same way... My mom taught me and it was.. M-I- Crooked letter-Crooked letter-I-Crooked letter- Crooked letter-I-Humpback humpback-I. I'm just curious how many people learned the same way."

**
2. gynoceros, 2024
"EM eye ess ess EYE ess ess EYE peepee EYE"

**
3. TabbyVolatile, OP  [original poster], 2024
"I've heard that one! But it was pee pee in your eye lol"

**
4.  lotiloo, 2024
"Never heard that! I was taught by singing M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I to a little tune."

**
5. TabbyVolatile, OP, 2024
"Pretty sure that's how school taught me. So I remember that as well!"

**
6. Due_Smoke5730, 2024
"We would always have a game where we had to spell it as fast as possible over and over so now I can only spell it fast."

**
7. Ordinary-Painter-598, 2024
"I learned it like this (I’m using solid caps to indicate a stressed syllable): EM eye ess ESS eye ess ESS eye pee pee EYE Still find myself reciting that in my head whenever I need to spell Mississippi. Similarly, “The school principal should be your PAL” was how I was taught to differentiate between “principal” and “principle”. I’m sure there were other spelling tricks, but none come to mind at the moment."

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MY CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF THIS RHYME
I remember the "spell Mississippi" rhyme being used this way (in the late 1950s -early 1960s in Atlantic City, New Jersey, African American girls)

Girls would try to trick other girls into publicly saying the mildly inappropriate phrase "pee pee" (meaning "to urinate").

A girl would approach another girl and ask "How do you spell "Mississippi". If the girl who was asked this question wasn't aware of the trick, she would answer "Miss iss ippi".

The first girl would say something like "How did you spell the end of that word?" and the second girl would respond "i pp i". Then the first girl would laugh and point at the second girl and say "You pee peed?!  You pee peed?! on yourself".

It only took one time before girls approached by some other girl/s to spell the word Mississippi refused to do so. 

I don't remember any boys approaching girls or other boys to play (or try to play) this trick on someone.

I also don't remember ever hearing the Mississippi spelling rhyme with the crooked letter, humpback words. That rhyme was new to me when I first read it in a children's rhyme book when I was an adult.
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ADDENDUM - Explanation for the lyrics in the Spelling Mississippi Rhyme

From AI Overview
"The classic children's jump-rope chant and spelling mnemonic for Mississippi is the famous "M-I crooked letter" rhyme. [The source that is cited is  https://www.reddit.com/r/DoesAnybodyElse/comments/1ekfmsb/does_anybody_else_remember_how_they_were_taught/  "Does anybody else remember how they were taught to spell Mississippi?", August 5, 2024 

Most users on Reddit agree that this rhythmic chant was a staple of school playgrounds for generations to memorize a tricky word.

 The Rhyme

 • M - I

• Crooked letter, crooked letter, I (for the first two Ss and I)

• Crooked letter, crooked letter, I (for the next two Ss and I)

• Humpback, humpback, I (for the two Ps and the final I)

 How It Works

 • Crooked letter: Refers to the letter S because of its curvy, winding shape.

• Humpback: Refers to the letter P because of its rounded top loop."

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