Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on examples of contemporary (1970s and later) "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" children's recreational rhymes that include racial referents. These children's recreational rhymes are also known as "I Love Coffee I Love Teat" or "Down Down Baby".
This post presents some examples of "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea" ("I Love Coffee I Love Tea") rhymes that I have come across with the racial referent "White" or other racial/ethnic referents besides "Black" or "Colored" ("Color").
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/racialized-examples-of-i-like-coffee-i.html for Part I of this pancocojams series That pancocojams compilation presents all of the examples of "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea" ("I Love Coffee I Love Tea") rhymes that I have come across with demographic information (geographic location and year or decade first remembered) which include the words "I like a Colored boy" (or "Color boy" and he likes me" and continues with the lines "So step back White boy you don't shine/I'mma get a Black boy to beat your behind" (or similar wording.)
That post also includes an overview of these confrontational racialized rhymes, and some other information about these recreational rhymes.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/racialized-examples-of-i-like-coffee-i_19.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents a representative sample of the versions of "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea" that I have come across mostly online which include the words "I like a Black boy and he likes me". One example of these rhymes is presented under the date that I directly collected it. The other examples are presented in chronological order based on their online publishing dates. My editorial notes and/or contributors are included with some of these examples.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who contributed examples of rhymes to this compilation.
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REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES
Please add to the folkloric record by sharing any examples in the discussion thread below of any confrontational racialized “I Like Coffee I Like Tea” rhymes that you know. Remember to include demographic information (where- the city/state or country if outside of the United States where you lived when you first chanted or became aware of these rhymes), when (the year or decade when you first chanted or became aware of these rhymes) and who (your gender/race or ethnicity and/or the genders, race and/or ethnicity of those who chanted that example.
I’m also interested in how those rhymes where performed (such as single jump rope, Double Dutch jump rope, partner hand clap rhymes etc. Thanks in advance!
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A COMPILATION OF EXAMPLES OF CONFRONTATIONAL RACIALIZED EXAMPLES OF "I LIKE COFFEE I LIKE TEA" THAT INCLUDE THE WORDS "I LIKE A WHITE BOY" OR OTHER RACIAL / ETHNIC REFERENTS BESIDES "BLACK" OR "COLORED".
These examples are presented in chronological order and are given with or without demographic information such as the contributor's geographic location and the year/decade the contributor's is first chanted or heard this rhyme.
These numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
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1. "I went to elementary school starting in 1980, in Bloomfield, Connecticut (adjacent to Hartford). The girls (including my sister) did clapping games on the bus everyday it seemed, and when they hung out in the street, etc. Demographic note: my family is White; Blacks (including many Jamaicans) are a majority in the town, and were most of our playmates.
The version to this one went:
"I like coffee, I like tea
I like a Black/White boy an' he likes me
So step back White/Black boy, you don't shine
I'll get a Black/White boy to beat your behind."
The girls would switch the race of the boy, depending on who was singing. Sometimes there'd be confusion if a White and a Black girl were playing together, and they'd sort of get jumbled up on that word and try to push their version. Sometimes they would agree on a skin tone based on a previous conversion about who the girl whose "turn" it was actually "likes." The reason why I remember distinctly that they did it both ways was that as a little kid I tried to imagine what "you don't shine" meant. I'd try to reason what skin tone "shined" more [sic]! Needless to say, I never figured it out!"
-Gibb (White male; Bloomfield, Connecticut, 3/5/2009) http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=115045&messages=66 "Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme"
-snip-
Here's a portion of my March 5, 2009 response to Guest Gib (posted to that "Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme" thread)
..."Here's my take on that "you don't shine" phrase:
In this context, "shine" means to be as radiant as the sun or stars. Saying "you don't shine" to a boy means that you don't think that he is anything special (in looks, and/or in actions, or in his very being) as he or she thinks he is. Perhaps that use of "shine" comes from the outer (or inner glow) that people are said to have because of their auras or their spirit. Theoretically, the aura* of a good or great person shines brighter than that of a person who is evil or ordinary. And a charismatic person would be described as shining brightly.".
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2. "I always heard it as...
Down, down baby down down the rollercoaster
Sweet sweet baby, mama never let you go,
shimmy shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy shimmy pow
shimmy shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy shimmy wow
i like coffee, i like tea,
i like a white boy and he likes me
so stand back black boy you don't shine,
i got a white boy to kick your behind,
kick it rough, kick it tough, kick it till you get enough
I am VERY saddened that we said this in elementary school.
-GUEST,guest, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653 Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes, 12 Dec 10
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3. down down baby, down down the rollercoaster,
sweet sweet baby ill never let u go.
shimmi shimmi coco puff shimmi shimmi pow
shimmi shimmi coco puff shimmi shimmi break it down,
i like coffie i like tea i like a white boy and he likes me.
so step back girl cuz he is mine.
i bet u five $ i can beat ur behind
.. to the front to he back to the side side side.
to the front to the back to the side side side.
i can beat u with ur head ding dong(repet)
i can beat u with ur feet ((stomp stomp)) repet.
i cant beat u with ur hands ((clap clap)) reapet.
i can beat u with my hot stuff(hands on hips)reapet
now put it all together and c what u got.
ding dong, stomp stomp, clap clap, hot stuff.
now lets put it all backward and c what u got.
- summmm13lzs;http://hubpages.com/hub/Recess-is-BACK-Hand-Clapping-Games; July 2010 (retrieved August 21, 2010)
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4. "Down down baby down down the roller coaster sweet sweet baby I'll never let you go shimmy shimmy Coco Puff Shimmy Shimmy aah shimmy shimmy coco puff shimmy shimmy aah. I like coffee I like tea I like a white boy he likes me step back black boy you don't shine I bet you $5 I can beat your behind. get the rhythm of the head, ding dong. get the rhythm of the hands clap clap, get the rhythm of the feet stomp stomp get the rhythm of the hot dog, get the rhythm of the hot dog (move your body like a snake motion each time you say hot dog). Put them all together and see what you get, ding dong (move head from left to right when saying ding dong), clap clap, stomp stomp, hot dog. Put them all backwards and see what you get. Hot dog, stomp,stomp, clap,clap, ding dong.
Amazing how it's a similar song but different in many ways...
-
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5. "This is such an interesting article and so neat to see something that is a deep memory of mine. I went to Fruitvale Elementary in Oakland, Ca. Kindergarten 76-77. We also sang this song. The version I sang, for some unknown reason, was :
I like coffee , I like tea,
I like the Mexican Boy
He don’t like me
Go away White boy
He don’t shine
She bop a badda badda
She bop a badda badda
She bop a badda badda
Bing
I was a 5 year old white girl. I came home singing this song. My mother just thought I was adapting to my surroundings and fellow school mates.
I have never forgotten this song. So interesting to find your article.
Thank you
Bella"
-Unknown, October 4, 2020, https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html
-snip-
Read my response to Bella that I wrote in 2020 to this commenter in the discussion thread for this 2026 pancocojams post
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6. "I recall this, and it is very disturbing to me that I was taught as a little girl of perhaps 4-5 years old, by a neighbor I can only assume, around 1980-1981 (born 1976, raised in Southern NJ, in an very integrated town over the bridge from Philadelphia), and it went as follows:
Down, down baby,
Down by the Rollercoaster.
Sweet, sweet baby,
I'll never let you go.
Shimmy, shimmy cocoa-pop,
Shimmy, shimmy wow.
Shimmy, shimmy cocoa-pop,
Shimmy, shimmy wow.
I like coffee, I like tea.
I like white boy, he likes me.
So jump back black boy,
you don't shine.
I bet you five dollars
he can beat your behind.
You can roll your eyes
and you can stomp your feet
but this white boy you sure can't beat."
-Anonymous, Feb. 5, 2021, https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html
-snip-
During my childhood/teen years in Southern New Jersey (Atlantic City, New Jersey) in the 1950s to the mid 1960s, I recall hearing the rhyme "You can roll your eyes, You can stomp your feet, but this Black girl (or "Black boy") can't be beat". It's interesting to find that verse is included in this rhyme with the "Black" referent changed to "White".
The ending verse for this example that begins with "You can roll your eyes"
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This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
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