Mississippi Senate Candidate Scott Colom's 2026 "Pick Another Protein?!" Campaign Ad Helped Flip Mississippi Blue

 
This Campaign Ad Is Incredible

TBNewsroom, Oct 20, 2026  LIVE News | U.S. Politics, White House & Breaking News

“Pick another protein?” 😂 Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom is turning Cindy Hyde-Smith’s comments about rising beef prices into one of the campaign’s most talked-about ads. 

The ad features Mississippians firing back with a different suggestion: pick another senator. 🥩🔥

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-NTtZT29VM

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Edited by November 7, 2026

This pancocojams post showcases Mississippi's Democratic candidate for the United States Senate Scott Colom's October 2026 campaign ad "Pick Another Protein?!"

This post showcases a YouTube video of that ad and includes a transcript of that ad. This pancocojams post presents some comments from the discussion thread of a YouTube video short of that "Pick Another Protein?!" ad and also includes my editor's notes about why I believe that campaign ad is so highly regarded.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.  

Thanks to Scott Colom and his campaign for producing this "Pick Another Protein?!" ad. Thanks to all those who were associated with that ad, including those who are featured in that ad. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of this embedded video on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/11/comments-from-maighstir-tarot-youtube.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "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)".

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TRANSCRIPT FOR THE CAMPAIGN AD "PICK ANOTHER PROTEIN?!"
from AI Overview

[Note: This transcript includes my corrections regarding the genders of two of the speakers in that ad.]

  

AI Overview

 

The transcript of Scott Colom’s viral campaign ad features a clip of U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith responding to rising beef prices, followed by a reaction from a voter grilling burgers:

• [Video opens with a clip of Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith from a February TV interview]:

Hyde-Smith: “Price of beef continuing to go up. You know you have so many proteins to choose from.”

• [Cuts to a man grilling burgers]:

Man: “Pick another protein? Sheee-it. I'd rather pick another senator instead.”

• [Variations/Repeats in the ad]:

[Woman]* “Pick another protein? She done lost her damn mind. I'd rather pick another senator.”

**Woman: “Pick another protein? What the? Pick another senator instead.”

-snip-
AI Overview misidentified the gender of two people in this ad and didn't mention their race.

The first man is a young White man. That man is s shown flipping burgers at a barbecue grill presumably outside his home.

 *AI Overview misidentified this speaker as a man.  That speaker is a middle age or older Black woman who is seated and eating a a table in a restaurant.

** AI Overview also misidentified this speaker as a man. That speaker is a middle age or older White woman shopping at a grocery store.

Undoubtedly, the producers of this campaign ad wanted to appeal to all adults in the state of Mississippi regardless of their age and race. Therefore, it seems to me that those producers were very mindful of the races and ages of the people in that video as well as how they were depicted (i.e. what they were doing, what they said, and how they said it. I believe that all these components were factored in and succeeded in producing this viral, highly regarded, and successful campaign ad*

I particularly point to the White man in this ad's elongated pronunciation of the word "sh-t" as it is pronounced in African American Vernacular English.  My sense is that that pronunciation was scripted not only to appeal to younger adults regardless of their race, but to suggest that in ways that matter, all people from Mississippi share a common cultural and care about the same things such as the high prices of meat. Besides that, the way that White man flipping the burgers said "sh-t" makes this ad more memorable and gives something immediate that people probably have  talked about.

I also think that the fact that each of the speakers in this ad cursed or almost cursed was meant to convey how angry people in Mississippi are about this subject (of Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith saying that they should "Pick another protein" because beef is so expensive now instead of using her position as Senator to advocate for those prices to come down.

However, even with the cursing or almost cursing and although the subject is serious, I think what wins over it's viewers is its humor. Scott Colom is shown at the end of this ad-smiling in his office-conveys to me the message that even though this is a dire situation, he's self-assured because he has the skills that are needed in these difficult times. He's "got this".  

It also should be noted that this campaign ad uses the tune of the highly popular 1980 pop song "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE )

I'm sure that the title of that song was part of the strategy for using that up-tempo tune in that ad. Furthermore, I'm sure that to solidify their appeal for all Mississippians regardless of race, the Colom campaign went with a tune for that ad that was performed by a White British Pop band rather than a tune from a Black R&B or Hip-Hop group. After all, Scott Colom already had already gained the support of Black Mississippians. He had to shore up his outreach and support among non-Black Mississippians.   

It also seems to me that the lack of flashiness of this ad and the probably low amount of money spent producing it (compared to other campaign ads that I've seen) contributes to its appeal and it's message of authenticity.  After all, it's message is very clear and easy to remember: "Because Cindy Hyde-Smith is saying "Pick another protein rather than doing what needs to be done to help lower prices, you need to pick another senator. Vote for Scott Colom".  

*The success of this ad can be measured not only by the accolades it receive/d but also by how well that candidate did in his campaign. (As of the time this pancocojams post has been published, Scott Colom has not yet been officially declared the winner of that Senate race, However, the amount of votes that he has received has been consistently higher than his Republican opponent.)

I believe this is an example of AI Overview either being programmed to be colorblind or not understanding the importance of race/ethnicity in the USA. 

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF A YOUTUBE VIDEO SHORT OF THIS SAME SCOTT COLOM CAMPAIGN AD
From https://youtube.com/shorts/ozTp2-tou5I?si=Tq-AJ7SHMHSPQprC "Scott Colom's new ad is a must-watch 🔥" by The Democrats, Oct 15, 2026

These comments are presented in their relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first except for replies. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

October 2026 [with no specific dates cited in this compilation]

1.@el.lobo.de.norte.california
"America needs Colom as US Senator. This campaign ad is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"

**
2.@WLGW0687
"This is the best ad anyone has made this year. I’ve watched it numerous times the last couple days 😂 Still not old."

**
3.@sandraporter1597
"lmbo 😂 pick another senator"

**
4. @KaleLynn-w7r
"GREAT AD!!! 🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏👏"

**
5. @heatherrice6862
"Bravo Brother  ! Perfect AD ! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸✊️✊️✊️👏👏💯💯💯🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸"

**
6. @Fredia-k5d
"As they eat filet mignon, they want US to eat peanut butter and jelly.

Pick another Senator."

**
Reply
7. @12thDecember
"I can’t even afford peanut butter. Stopped buying it about 6 months ago. 🙁"

**
Reply
8. @Fredia-k5d
"@12thDecember 😢"

**
Reply
9. @extremistgarchomp4950, November 5, 2026
"@12thDecember   hope change starts with helping people like you friend"

**
Reply
10. @PRB-c5w, November 6, 2026
"@12thDecember 💔 everything has gotten sky high!!"

**
11. @baritonewoman4702
"C'mon , people in Mississippi, vote out Cindy High-Prices."

**
12. @JohnRhymes
"We the people agree and approve this message."

**
13. @loriparks8657
"This commercial is brilliant. 🌊🗳👏🏿"

**
Reply
14. @DannyWilson-v1z
"Spread the word on it."

**
15. @adamt253
"I've never wished to live in Mississippi but I definitely wish I could vote for this guy! 😂👍

 Shii! Best effin' political commercial I have ever seen!"

**
16. @Nikkihadababyitsaboye7z
"I love this 😂"

**
17. @PoliticalFelon
"Well done 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾"

**
18. @monicabrown1970
"Best political ad of the entire cycle ❤"

**
19. @aBlvckGuy
"This was clever 😂"

**
20. @sandraporter1597
"lmbo 😂 pick another senator"

**
21.@user-ht1mk2uj7d
"🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"

**
22.@ruelpile
"I love this commercial!!!! Pick another Senator!!!!!"

**
23. @LilibetHagel
"Makes me want to knock on doors for Colum. Bravo to the ad person too.

Mississippi suppresses the vote among working people by not allowing early voting. Shameful!"

**
24. @judd442009
"Send Cindy Hyde-Smith into retirement.  She needs to get real."

**
25. @mick136
"Picking another senator instead is obviously the best way to go. Godspeed, Mr. Colom!"

**
Reply
26. @thelittlegoblinchannel.7943
"This wins the Internet."

**
27. @lynne10tin
"Mississippi needs to turn blue asap"

**
Reply
28. @aarondegagne3405, November 6, 2026
"They did!!!"

**
Reply
29. @tommiehorton8715, November 7, 2026
"DONE!!"

**
30. @YellowDogDemocrat
"COLOM for Mississippi!"

**
31. @Aubs-k2v
"Yassss love this 😂👏"

**
32. @boricua4052
"Love it sheeeeetttt😅"

**
Reply
33. @ericflores82
"❤❤😂😂😂"

**
34. @keithallen5185
"Mississippi has a vast history of being a state with the strictest voting laws, lowest voter turnout, and is well-known for suppressing its citizen’s constitutional right to vote  There is no early voting.   It's an American disgrace."

**
35. @mattmulroypro
"Republicans are so out of touch!! Roaring 20s parties and insider paydays, then they tell us to eat horse and insects on state-sponsored tv"

**
36. @whiskeyforcats
"My inlaws live in MS and I know they'd love this. Wouldn't vote blue if it killed them, but they'd love the ad."

**
37. @OtisKimbrough
"I’ll stick with beef, cooked mid rare with steaks always, or smashed burgers with ground beef. Ground beef 4 bucks a pound, steak around 13 bucks a pound"

****
November 1-November 4, 2026 

38. @YellowDogDemocrat, November 1, 2026
"Sheeeeeet pick a bunch of new Senators!!!!"

**
39. @305mom7, November 2, 2026
"This ad is upbeat with a strong message.  Get out the vote Mississippi!  Scott Colom checks all the boxes for your great state."

**
40. @DalTheFox, November 3, 2026
"Tomorrow, this could be the ad that flipped MISSISSIPPI"

**
41. @GoldenStateRewind, November 4, 2026
"This is a great ad. Thank you"

**
42. @Igaveyoumyfakename, November 4, 2026
"That shyt is straight GENIUS"

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November 5-November 7, 2026 [the date this post was published]

43. @patricedoeshair, November 5, 2026
"Simply perfect 💙💙💙"

**
44. @basedchad2337, November 5, 2026
"This ad unironically won him the election"

**
45. @mharris2100, November 5, 2026
"This ad is priceless!  😂"

**
Reply
46. @moonbean9050, November 6, 2026
"Best ad of the entire election season"

**
47. @smartiee74, November 5, 2026
"I'm here while Mr. Colom is ahead by 1,100 votes in Mississippi.....and they don't do recounts.....😁😁"

**
Reply
48. @williampfeifer5026,  November 7, 2026
"Right now, it's 2,574."

**
49. @NBee888, November 5, 2026
"Hahhaha I can’t stop watching it it’s so on point"

**
50. @steveshea6148, November 5, 2026
"This ad is 😅😅 LEGENDARY !"

**
51. @timwong8604, November 5, 2026
"Don't mess with ppl's protein"

**
52. @tushargkwd, November 5, 2026
"This ad is work of a genius. Short and delivers the message super effectively"

**
53. @jackblack1653, November 5, 2026
"😂😂😂 This ad should be studied by all future political strategists until the end of time"

**
54. @KJThePublicist, November 5, 2026
"And Mississippi has indeed chosen another Senator..."

**
55. @user-eo1sv5kn4i, November 5, 2026
"Best political ad I’ve ever seen, fun and empowering."

**
56. @jamil.8218, November 6, 2026
"White bro in the beginning hit that "shiiiii" so clean! 😂 Brilliant ad!"

**
57. @SuzanMcDowell
"Genius ❤"

**
58. @jameslafourche2961, November 6, 2026
"Whoever came up with this ad deserves a raise."

**
Reply
59. @PeksimLutor-n5o, November 6, 2026
"Deserve another senator! 😂"

**
60. @PigeonaLaw. November 6, 2026
"This is the best ad I have ever seen great job 😊🎉🎉❤

**
61. @PeksimLutor-n5o, November 6, 2026
"Hahaha this is so brilliant, SO BRILLIANT!!!"

**
62. @wannerknappe0483,November 6, 2026
"The ad that flipped MISSISSIPPI blue"

**
63. @cosmicblackentity, November 6, 2026
"burger being so central to american life it flipped mississippi blue"

**
Reply
64. @itsmebedazzle, November 6, 2026
"Exactly, and that's why this commercial really hits home with people. A simple dish like spaghetti was a staple with families on a budget. It was filling and could stretch for days."I’M SO PROUD OF Y’ALL" FROM Cali"

**
65. @Whomikejones972, November 6, 2026
"That shiiiii is sending me lo"

**
66. @fionawallace580, November 6, 2026
"This should win an award. It’s brilliant"

**
67. @frederickiii5000, November 7, 2026
"North Carolina approves this message."

**
68. @kellyhopson5773, November 7, 2026
"The burger looks seasoned"

**
69. @cellosong, November 7, 2026
"Humor drives the message home - haha! Congratulations!"

**
Reply
70. @josephinelourens2083, November 7, 2026
"I love this humour. Go SCOTT!! From South Africa. I watched it 10 times."

**
71. @backhand4, November 7, 2026
"This ad will go down in history"

**
72. @PRB-c5w, November 7, 2026
"Pick another protein?

Shoooooot, I'd rather pick another senator instead and they did!!!!

You lost cindi..🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🎶😂😂😂😂😂This is brilliant!! I have been repeating the first 2 ppl responses since Nov 3!!😂😂😂😂"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Examples Of "Old Aunt Mariah Jumped In The Fire" ("Obadiah") & Other Titles Of This Children's Rhyme (from the late 19th century to the late 1950s)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a compilation of comments and examples of the children's rhymes entitled "Old Aunt Mariah Jumped In The Fire" (or other titles). All of the examples that are included in this post are from those comments in a Mudcat folk music forum discussion thread that includes a date when the example was collected or published or a date when that rhyme was heard or chanted by the commentator.

The examples that are showcased from that Mudcat discussion thread are from the late 19th century to the late 1950s. Geographical locations are also usually noted in these comments.  

All of these comments/examples are from the Mudcat Folk Music discussion thread https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72705 Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire and only include comments that cite a date that that rhyme was published, recorded, or collected or a date that the commenter remembers hearing, reading, or chanting a version of that rhyme.

The late 19th century example in that Mudcat discussion thread is given as comment #9 in this pancocojams post.  Unlike the other examples of that rhyme in that discussion thread (as well as other examples that I have found online) that example has a call & response format.

The content of this post is given for folkloric and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown person who was the first to compose this rhyme. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this rhyme.
-snip-
This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing series of posts on what I refer to as children's "trading rhymes" in which one item is found to be defective or one experience is found to be problematic so the person exchanges that item for another one (or moves to a different experience). This pattern continues throughout the rhyme until the rhyme ends.

****
DISCLAIMER
Pancocojams usually showcases examples of Black cultures in the United States and elsewhere. However, this pancocojams post doesn't mean to imply that these rhymes originated with Black people.  That said, some examples of this rhyme were/are Black American adaptations (versions) of this rhyme.  

**
The earliest date that is given in this pancocojams compiled list may not be the earliest documented date for this family of rhymes family.

****
A PANCOCOJAMS COMPILATION OF THE CHILDREN'S RHYMES "OLD AUNT MARIAH" ("OBADIAH") AND OTHER TITLES
All of the entries in this pancocojams compilation are from https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72705 (as of November 7, 2026)*. 

These selected comments are from Mudcat Folk Music Forum are all of the examples on a discussion thread on that forum that include a date in which that rhyme was chanted, recorded, collected, or otherwise documented. 

A number of other comments on that discussion thread include comments that their grandfather (or grandmother) chanted this rhyme when the commenters were growing up. Those examples are included in thi compilation because they don't include any dates.

I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only. 

*That Mudcat discussion thread is still open for comments as of November 8, 2026.

The Pancocojams Compilation of examples of this rhyme with demographic information begins here: 

1.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: masato sakurai
Date: 05 Feb 05 - 10:32 PM

"(1) From here:*

Old Aunt Mariah, jumped in the fire

Fire too hot, jumped in the pot

Pot too black, jumped in the crack

Crack too shallow, jumped in the tallow

Tallow too soft, jumped in the loft

Loft too high, jumped in the sky

Sky too blue, jumped in canoe

Canoe too rotten, jumped in the cotton

Cotton so white she stayed there all night!

(2) As a jump-rope rhyme from Roger D. Abrahams, ed., Jump-Rope Rhymes: A Dictionary (University of Texas Press, 1969, pp. 10-11):

Anthy Maria jumped in the fire;

The fire was too hot, she jumped in the pot;

The pot was too black, she jumped in a crack;

The pot was soon over, she jumped in some clover.

Clover's too sweet; she kicked up her feet.

Feet was soon over, she cried 1, 2, 3, jumped in a tree.

The tree was so high she couldn't go higher.

'Long came a breeze, blew her away.

 

Other versions give different particulars. 

Evans (1961), 23 [California].

Worsell (1961), 10-11.

Abrahams oral collection (1962) [Nevis, B.W.I.].
-snip-
Pancocojams editor- I added the asterisk after the word “here”.

* https://www.tagsrwc.com/chitchat/archive/2004_03_29.html [No title, author, or publishing date is given for this excerpt of a series of comments (Msg=messages). I've surmised from their content, that this is a message thread by fans of The Andy Griffith television series. Here's the message that is referenced in that Mudcat comment (given "as is")
"March 23, 2004 - Msg 20316: Morning DEARS. Sterling, your youngun souds so precious! I can just see the two of you acting out TAGS episodes. Train her well, she'll use that later in life. Boo, that goes for your little tornado too! Ain't that sweet? Aunt Bea's chicken nuggets, hee hee hee! When I was that age I was in love with pie. I had a stuffed toy that I named Opie and we would dance all around the house. I really wanted Ang for a F-I-L.

Old Aunt Mariah, jumped in the fire

Fire too hot, jumped in the pot

Pot too black, jumped in the crack

Crack too shallow, jumped in the tallow

Tallow too soft, jumped in the loft

Loft too high, jumped in the sky

Sky too blue, jumped in canoe

Canoe too rotten, jumped in the cotton

Cotton so white she stayed there all night!

~ Mrs. Wiley"
-snip-
Msg=” message

I believe that this message refers to the 1960 episode on the Andy Griffith show when Ernest T. Bass sang “Oh Aunt Mariah” while serenading Charlene Darling to convince her not to go through with her wedding with someone else. 

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64QS144yo9U for a video of that film clip.  Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:

@TheFutureLooksGrimm, 2026
"Haha I finally found this and the episode it is from. "In his first appearance (Episode #94, "Mountain Wedding"), Ernest T. has his mind set on marrying Briscoe Darling's daughter Charlene, despite the fact that she is already married to Dud Wash. He breaks the Darlings' window in the middle of the night, and then attempts to serenade Charlene by performing a sort of spoken-word song called "Old Aunt Mariah," accompanied by drumming a gas can, which he "tuned" by tightening and loosening the cap. The family then decides to conduct a faked wedding, to which Ernest T. reacts by devising a nefarious plan to steal the bride, only to discover that it was Barney in disguise." -Wikipedia Quote"
-snip-
"Ernest T. Bass" is the name of a fictitional (White) hillbilly man who was featured on five episodes of the popular American television series  The Andy Griffith Show. That character was portrayed by (White American) comedian, actor Howard Morris. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_T._Bass for more information about that character and about the man who portrayed him. 

**
2. 
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 09:47 PM

"I heard it on a kids' record in the 50s. I recall the final line, but there may be another or 2 before it:
 

Old man 'badiah jumped in the fire.

The fire was hot so he jumped in the pot.

The pot was little so he jumped in the kettle.

The kettle was black so he jumped in the crack.

The crack was high so he jumped in the sky.

The sky was blue so he jumped in the canoe.

The canoe sprang a leak so he jumped in the creek.

The creek was soft so he jumped in the loft.

The loft was rotten so he jumped in the cotton.

 

THEN WHAT HAPPENS?

 

The cotton was soft so he pulled off his shoes

And stayed all night.

 

Now, does anyone know the chords?"

**
3.
Subject: Lyr. Add: Old Mariah , Maria (Perrow)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 02:09 PM

"Lyr. Add: OLD MARIAH

Old Mariah jumped in the fire;

The fire was so hot, she jumped in the pot;

The pot was so black, she jumped in the crack;

The crack was so high, she jumped in the sky;

The sky was so blue, she jumped in the canoe;

The canoe was so deep, she jumped in the creek;

The creek was so shallow, she jumped in the tallow;

The tallow was so hard, she jumped in the lard;

The lard was so soft, she jumped in the loft;

The loft was so rotten, she jumped in the cotton;

The cotton was so white, she staid all night.

vol. 26, p. 143.

 

MS. of W. C. Stokes, collected from Mississippi whites. E. C. Perrow, Game Songs and Nursery Rhymes, no. 17, "Songs and Rhymes from the South," JAFL, 1911-1915, vol. 25, pp. 137-155; vol. 26, pp. 123-173; vol. 28, pp. 129-190.

----------------------

Also collected in North Carolina, Burke Co., by Amy Henderson, 1914-1915. (1952, Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, vol. 1, p 199).

OLD MARIA

Gena Maria fell in the fire;

The fire was so hot she fell in the pot;

The pot was so little she fell in the kettle;

The kettle was so black she fell in the crack;

The crack ws so high she fell in the sky;

The sky was so blue she fell in the canoe;

The canoe waas so long she fell in the pond;

The pond was so deep she fell in the creek;

The creek was so shallow she fell in the tallow;

The tallow was so hard she fell in the lard;

The lard was so soft she fell in the loft;

The loft was so rotten she fell in the cotton;

The cotton was so white she stayed there all night.

 

The similarity of the Mississippi and North Carolina versions may suggest both were derived from a printed source. "Obadiah" was also collected in Burke Co., NC; the last line- 'The cotton was so white he jumped out of sight.'

Also reported from UK, but I don't know any details. I doubt an African-American origin."
-snip-
Q's last sentence in that comment is in response to an earlier comment that I wrote on this discussion thread that cites a number of African American trading rhymes with similar words. Those rhymes have  beginning words or titles such as "Take A Peach Take A Plum" and "Oh Ah I Wanna Piece Of Pie". I asked if any African American origin had been found for the "Old Aunt Mariah" rhymes. I should have worded that question "Has anyone documented any African American adaptations or versions of those rhymes?

The Southern examples that are cited in Q (Frank Staplin)'s comment that is quoted above may (or may not) be from Black Americans.

My comment from this Mudcat discussion thread is given in the discussion thread that is found below.

**
4.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Sep 09 - 04:18 PM

"Poor old lady maria, she jumped in the fire.

the fire was so hot, she jumped in the pot.

the pot was so black, she jumped in the crack.

the crack was so high, she jumped in the sky.

the sky was so blue, she jumped in the canoe.

the canoe was so shallow, she jumped in the tallow.

the tallow was so rotten, she jumped in the cotton.

the cotton was so white, she stayed all night.

the night was so dark, she stepped on a fork.

the fork was so round, she went into town.

the town was so big, she found a pig.

the pig was so red, she jumped in the bed.

the bed was so hard, she jumped in the lard.

the lard was so greasy, she slipped out easy.

poor old lady maria...

 

My old great grandma told me this when i was young... she was born before the 1900's."

**
5. 
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST
Date: 05 May 10 - 01:32 PM

 "My dad always said, "Little Mary Mariah,jumped in the fire",etc. He was from Georgia, born in 1915.

**
6.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old man 'badiah/Jumped in the fire
From: GUEST,mazzamum
Date: 07 May 12 - 05:48 AM

"this is the version my dad used to say to us when I was little in the early 1960's. It was spoken and the last jeremiah was loud and made us jump

When I was a lad as big as my dad

I jumped into a peapod

the peapod was so full

I jumped into a butchers bull

the butchers bull was so fat

i jumped into a gentlemans hat

the gentlemans hat was so fine

i jumped into a bottle of wine

the bottle of wine was so clear

i jumped into a bottle of beer

the bottle of beer was so nasty

i jumped into an apple pasty

the apple pasty was so good

i jumped into a lump of wood

the lump of wood was so rotten

i jumped into a bag of cotton

the bag of cotton set of fire

and blew us all to jeremiah"

**
7.
Subject: Lyr Add: Jeremiah peed on the fire
From: Richard from Liverpool
Date: 07 May 12 - 06:10 AM

"This is the version from Liverpool, as printed in Frank Shaw's You Know Me Anty Nelly? (1970) - very similar to Paul Burke's version from his mother in Lancashire. 

Jeremiah pee'd on the fire,

The fire was out-

So he pee'd up the spout.

The spout was flat

So he pee'd on the cat

And the cat ran away

With the pee on its back"

**
8.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 17 Jun 13 - 04:01 PM

"As told to me by my Grandpa circa 1950 in Preston Lancs with broad Lancs accent:

When I were a lad as big as me Dad

I came out a pea pod

Pea pod was so full

I came out a roarin' bull

Roarin' bull was so fat

I came out a gentleman's 'at

Gentleman's 'at it was so fine

I came out a bottle o' wine

Bottle o' wine it was so clear

I came out a bottle o' beer

Bottle o' beer was so thick

I came out a knob stick

Knob stick wouldn't bend

I came out a turkey 'en

Turkey 'en it wouldn't lay

I came out a lump o' clay

Lump o' clay it was so nasty

I came out an apple pasty

Apple pasty was so good

I came out a lump o' wood

Lump o' wood it was so rotten

I came out a bag o' cotton

Bag o' cotton set on fire

And blew me up to Jeremiah.... Puff, Puff, Puff.

 

I have just started teaching it to my Grand daughter (age 1)"

**
9.
Subject: Lyr Add: OBADIAH JUMPED INTO THE FIRE.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 06:52 PM

"From Americanisms; the English of the New World by Maximilian Schele De Vere (New York: Charles Scribner & Company, 1872), page 46: 

The other used to be sung by one voice, the response being given in a chorus, and at each refrain the husked car would be thrown on the rapidly-rising pile in the centre: 

Solo. Obadiah.

Chorus. Jumped into the fire.

Solo. Fire too hot.

Chorus. Jumped in the pot.

Solo. Pot too black.

Chorus. Jumped in the crack.

Solo. Crack too high.

Chorus. Jumped in the sky.

Solo. Sky too blue.

Chorus. Jumped in the canoe.

 

[Part of the rhyme seems to be missing at this point.]

 

Solo. Pond too deep.

Chorus. Jumped in the creek.

Solo. Creek too shallow.

Chorus. Jumped in the tallow.

Solo. Tallow too soft.

Chorus. Jumped in the loft.

Solo. Loft too rotten.

Chorus. Jumped in the cotton.

Solo. Cotton so white.

Chorus: Stayed there all night!"

**
10.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Donald
Date: 01 Sep 13 - 12:16 PM

"My father recited this to me when I was achild. He was born in Texas in the 20s. His family came from Georgia, Carolinas and Virginia,

Old Granny Dyer, she jumped in the fire,

The fire was so hot, she jumped in the pot,

The pot was so black, she jumped in the crack,

The crack was so deep, she jumped in the creek,

The creek was so shalllow, she jumped in the tallow,

The tallow was so soft, she jumped in the loft,

The loft was so rotten, she jumped in the cotton,

The cotton was so white, she jumped alll night..."

**
11.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Tom Johnstone
Date: 13 Nov 14 - 12:04 PM

"My version, from my Auntie Belle in Clitheroe, Lancashire, late 1950s, is very similar to Chris Guest's but with more of a flourish at the end:

When I were a lad as big as me Dad,

I come out of a pea swad,

Pea swad were so full,

I came out of a roaring bull,

Roaring bull were so fat,

I come out of a gentleman's hat,

Gentleman's hat were so fine,

I come out of a bottle of wine,

Bottle of wine were so clear,

I come out of a bottle of beer,

Bottle of beer were so thick,

I come out of a knob stick,

Knob stick wouldn't bend,

I come out of a turkey hen,

Turkey hen wouldn't lay,

I come out of a lump of clay,

Lump of clay were so nasty,

I come out of an apple pasty,

Apple pasty were so good,

I come out of a lump of wood,

Lump of wood were so rotten,

I come out of a bag of cotton,

Bag of cotton set afire,

And blew me back to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah, blow the fire,

Puff, puff, puff!

First you blow it easy,

Then you blow it rough.

Jeremiah, blow the fire,

Puff, puff, PUFF!"

**
12.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire
From: GUEST,Gary
Date: 21 Jul 17 - 05:18 PM

"Here's the way Iremember it from my boyhood here in Texas, 60 + years ago.

Jack McGuire jumped in the fire

The fire's so hot, he jumped in the pot

The pot's so little, he jumped in the kettle

The kettle's so black, he jumped in a crack

The crack's so high, he jumped in the sky

The sky's so blue, he jumped in the slough

The slough"s so deep, he jumped in the creek

The creek's so shallow, he jumped in the tallow

The tallow's so hard, he jumped in the lard

The lard's so soft, he jumped in the loft

The loft's so rotten, he jumped in the cotton

The cotton's so white, he stayed all night

And smoked old Jack McGuire's pipe"
-snip-
In 2017 when this comment was written in that Mudcat discussion thread, "60 years ago" would have been in 1957.h

****
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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.

****
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

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

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

**
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

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

**
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

**
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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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.  
-snip-
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."

**
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."

**
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 :)"

**
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).

**
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?

**
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."

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

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

**
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)."

**
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."
-snip-
"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." 

**
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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