Translate

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Children's Parodies Of "I Believe I Can Fly" (text & video examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision Sept. 9, 2022

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on parody examples of R. Kelly's hit 1996 R&B song "I Believe I Can Fly". These parodies are also entitled "I Believe I Can Die" among other titles.

This post showcases text examples and two videos of this parody.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/childrens-parodies-of-i-believe-i-can.html for Part I of this series. Part I provides information and comments about parody examples of R. Kelly's hit 1996 R&B song "I Believe I Can Fly", including information about the song source for those parodies.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/comparisons-between-united-states.html
for "Comparisons Between United States Versions & Jamaican Versions of Children's Parodies Of "I Believe I Can Fly, I Got Shot By The FBI".

****
TEXT EXAMPLES
(These examples are posted in chronological order based on their collection date or the date that they were posted online. Some examples were changed from paragraph form to a song line formation.)

Example #1:"I Believe I Can Fly"
I believe I can fly.
I got chased by the FBI. (or "I'm being chased by the FBI").
It's all because of those collards greens
that I ate with those chicken wings.
I believe I can fly.
See me running through that open door.
I believe I can fly.
I believe I can fly.
-African American boys & girls (ages 7-12), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, collected by Azizi Powell, 1999

****
Example #2: [no title given]
Hand Jives I've learned as a kid living in VA. Please Post some that you know!!!

(To the tune of I Believe I Can Fly)

I believe I can fly
I got shot by the F.B.I
All I wanted was some chicken wings
and a little bit of collad greens
I believe I can soar
I got a beaten at the geocery store
-GUEST,Natasha Woods, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=102055&messages=44 "Folklore: Play Ground Hand Jives", May 30, 2007

****
Example #3: [no title given]
i believe i can fly
i was shot by the fbi
all i wanted was a chicken wing
from mcdonalds or burger king
i believe i can soar
i was killed by an open door
all i needed was 20 cents
to buy a pack of junior mints!!!

there are alot of different versions but good question!!!
-Amy R, http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070526124029AA1nFbA "what is The lyrics to the funny i believe i can fly?" [hereafter given as Yahoo: I Believe I Can Fly Funny Lyrics], 2007

****
Example #4: [no title given]
I believe I can fly.
I got shot by the FBI.
All I wanted was a chicken wing.
So my mom took me to Burger King.
I believe I can soar.
Take a dash through that open door.
Then my dog skippy jumped up and said yippy.

there you go
-SiiSco, Yahoo: I Believe I Can Fly Funny Lyrics, 2007
-snip-
That same year another commenter to that discussion thread wrote that the first two lines were
"i believe i can fly
i got ran over by tha icecream guy"
-snip-
Added June 20, 2017
Judging from YouTube videos and comments, the "Burger King" examples of this parody seem to be at least as widely known as the "all I wanted was some chicken wings and collard greens [or "corn bread and collard greens"] versions. Each of these versions are still being used in 2017. The "Burger King" versions might actually be quite widely recited. Its "wing"/"king" fits the "AABB" rhyming pattern while the "wings"/ "greens" does not. That said, I wonder if the Burger King versions were composed later than the chicken wings and collard greens versions. That might especially be true if this version of "I Believe I Can Fly/I Got Shot By The FBI" parody was composed (by Black person? or by a White person?) to joke about or otherwise put down (insult) Black Americans.

Also, the "wings/dingaling" and "chips"/"dangling bits" versions of this parody are even newer and than the "wings"/Burger King" versions.

****
Example #5: no title given
ha ha ha its funny here it is

I believe I can fly!
I got shot by the FBI.
All I wanted was a chicken wing.
From McDonalds or Burger King.
I still believe I can fly!
I got caught by the Pepsi Guy.
All I wanted was a Mountain Dew!
He shot me with his 42.
I'll always believe I can fly!
Until the day I die.
A clown hit me with a pie.
And was that one hot guy.
I believe I can soar.
I got killed by an open door.
All I needed was 20 cents!
For a package of junior mints.

HOPE THIS HELPS its the full song
-Hollie, Yahoo: I Believe I Can Fly Funny Lyrics, 2007

****
Example #6: All I Wanted Was A Chicken Wing
I believe I can die (fly?)*
I got shot by the FBI
All I wanted was a chicken wing
From the burnt down Burger King

I believe I can soar
I got shot down by the superboy
I believe I can die (fly?)*
[Repeat first verse a number of times]
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hz_pgnc4pI "All I Wanted Was A Chicken Wing", June 5, 2011
-snip-
*Pancocojams Editor. This is my transcription of the video. I'm not sure if the word sung is "fly" or "die".
This video is embedded below as Featured Example #1.

****
Example #7: [no title given]
I believe i can fly
i got shot by the fbi
all i wanted was a chicken wing
french fries from burgerking
i believe i can soar
got caught robing a dollar store
all i wanted was a balloon
but they gave me some loony toons
i believe i can fly
-angiiemary, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw06X9WZ59I [hereafter given as Video: i believe i can fly], 2010

****
Example #8: I Believe I Can Die
Growing up as a little girl in the 90's I had a group of friends and during playground time at school the seven of us would sit on the playgrounds benches and sing. We enjoyed it. We used to sing a sing called
I believe I can die
I got shot by the FBI
All I wanted was some chicken wings...
-Danielle Jordan, Video: i believe i can fly, 2012
-snip-
This commenter's photograph was that of a Black woman. I included this example because it describes when & how this parody was sung. This comment also documents that the "I believe I can die" line was used in the "90s".

****
Example #9: I Believe I Can Die
I belive i can die
I was killed by FBI
all i wanted was chicken wings
some i stole from burger king
I belive i can die....
TheCuteRat, Video: i believe i can fly, 2012

****
Example #10: [no title given]
One time, I was in middle school & I was riding the bus back from some field trip when some kids sang
"I believe I can die,
I've been shot by the F.B.I.,
all I wanted was a chicken wing,
but they shot me at Burger King."
-http://twilingstarfish.deviantart.com/art/I-believe-I-can-fly-Parody-64225265, retrieved September 28, 2013
-snip-
The commenter then shares a further development of this parody that he or she wrote as an adult.

****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: All I Wanted Was A Chicken Wing



Leticia Santos, Uploaded on Jun 5, 2011

This video was uploaded from an Android phone.

****
Example #2:"all I wanted was a chicken wing..."



jenmurphy2002, Uploaded on Jul 22, 2010

Give the kid a harmonica and this is what happens. I had never heard this before, so it was rather shocking when my 4 year old daughter sang it to me for the first time. hahaha.
-snip-
Here are the words that this little girl sung:
“I believe I can fly
I got shot by the FBI
All I wanted was a chicken wing”

****
This ends Part II of this series.

Thanks to all those who I quoted in this post. Thanks also to those featured in these videos & thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

74 comments:

  1. i learned a version that goes, "i believe i can die, i got shot by the fbi, my momma hit me with a chicken wing, all the way to burger king." and that was it lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that example, Rabia!

      It would be interesting to know when you learned this, if children are still saying this chant, and if it's just chanted or is said as part of a hand clap rhyme or some other movement activity.

      Delete
    2. I've always wondered at the origin of this parody, but today was the first time I thought "Hey, let's look this up on the internet!" Whenever I think back to my childhood, I think it's bizarre the type of songs we were singing--some of them were dirty and some violent. I remember we used to sing these songs on the bus to school or waiting around the bus stop. I'm guessing I first heard it during 1998-2000 because that's about when I started kindergarten. And I know it was before 2001 because I lived in Germany on an Air Force base at the time when I sang it, and when I moved to the states in 2001, no one was singing it anymore. My version was lengthier than most, though I can't remember it all. It went something like "I believe I can die, I got shot by the FBI, all I wanted was a chicken wing that they sold at Burger King, I believe I can die..." and that's all I remember exactly, but I know the rest of the verses just deteriorated into more violence. There was bleeding and maybe rushing through a hospital door? I've never actually asked any of my friends who grew up in America whether or not they've heard it/used to sing it. No one has mentioned it to me since before 2001. I thought it was tons of fun to sing and sometimes we'd change the lyrics to make it more violent (I think?). There were no hand claps or movement activities. We just belted it at the top of our lungs on the bus. I think there was a need to sing it as loud as possible and the dirtiest or most violent possible. Also, I remember thinking one of the older kids had taught it to some of the younger ones. That's all I got. I'll be back if I think of more lyrics.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous, thanks for sharing your memories of the "I Believe I Can Fly" parody. I remember that around 1997-1999 a version of that parody was really popular with school age [arouond 7-12 year old) Black boys and girls in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I live somee. I used to do storytleling and game song s & rhymes programs for children, particularly in African American neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area. When I asked groups what rhymes they known, one rhyme that was often enthusiastically sung was the I Believe I Can Fly parody. As you remembered, no handclapping or any other accompanying movements were performed with this rhyme. But the rhyme wasn't particularly dirty or violent -except for the person getting shot by the FBI. Maybe the kids [in multiple locations often considerably geographically separated from each other] only sung a cleaned up version of this parody to adults. But if that were the case, I think I would have heard about another or otheer more risque versions.

      Anonymous, for the folkloric record, I'd love to know where you lived in the USA when you learned that parody. And for the folkloric record, I'm curious what race/ethnicity, and gender you are. I think that "I Believe I Can Fly parodies were known to and sung by non-Black children, but I'd like to document that assumption.

      Delete
    4. I am 32, born in 1990, grew up in Munhall/Homestead near The Waterfront and yeah.. i was 7 or so at a friends house and we would sing that all the time "gollard greens to go with my chicken wings"... didnt know until today the original song was R Kelly.. thats more frightening than the parodies..

      Delete
    5. Thanks for sharing that demographic information Anonymous June 15, 2023. For those who aren't familiar with that location, it is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

      And yes, R&B singer R Kelly who recorded "I Believe I Can Fly" is serving time for doing some horrendous things.

      P.S."gollard greens" is probably a typo or a folk processed form of "collard greens".

      Delete
  2. Hi, same Anonymous here again. I actually learned the parody at an American Air Force base in western Germany. I am white and a woman. And I know for certain there were other non-Black children singing it as well--pretty much the whole bus knew the song.

    Also, I think we all sang the one chorus, but people would try to continue it with more violent images, not graphically violent, but akin to the "shot by the FBI" line. None of the song was dirty though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi anonymous!

      Thanks for that response. And thanks for confirming that this particular parody was [and perhaps is still] sung by non-Black people.

      From your comments I assume that it was American children associated with the US airforce base singing "I Believe I Can Fly". But often children in other countries are taught American playground rhymes as part of an English language lesson. People from other countries might learn an American playground rhyme because that rhyme is featured on an American television show that is shown in their country. Or people from other nations might communicate with Americans or travel to the USA and learn a rhyme and then take it back to their country.

      Of course, rhymes might be learned via reading them in a book and/or the internet. YouTube is a great source for learning rhymes and watching the way others play them. And sometimes YouTube comment threads are a good way to learn what versions of rhymes children really chant. Most rhyme book only feature one squeekly clean example of a particular rhyme,

      Again, anonymous, I appreciate your comments, and I'm glad to have your anecdotal information as part of this rhyme's folkloric documentation.

      Delete
  3. Lol I used to sing
    I believe I can fly
    I believe I can touch the sky
    I only wanted a chicken wing but I got shot in the dingling

    ReplyDelete
  4. In third grade, i heard some kids singing this...

    I believe i can die
    I just got shot by the FBI
    all i wanted was a chicken wing.
    how did i end up in burger king?
    my mom hit me with a frying pan...
    so i hit her back with 3 trashcans
    thats how she ended up in the hospital....
    and how i got this popsicle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi yourself :o)

      Thanks for sharing that example of a variant form of "I Believe I Can Fly"!

      Delete
  5. My son told me this one today from his school.

    I believe I can die
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    Then I got shot in the ding-a-ling

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Crystal Matthey for sharing your son's version of this parody.

      I wonder if children nowadays know that this jingle came from R. Kelly's late 1990's song "I Believe I Can Fly".

      Delete
    2. thats a weird song

      Delete
    3. my version goes like this: i belive i can fly i got shocked by the F.B.I all i wanted was a burger from burger king and a wing from wing stop

      Delete
  6. the ones that came up in my school were i belive i can fly i got shot by the fbi all i wanted was a bag of chips but thats all i remember it was more from 2005-2007

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing that example, Anonymous September 12, 2015 at 1:50 PM.

      The last word of that line almost certainly rhymed with "chips". I wonder if it was "hips" or "lips" or "dips"??

      Does anybody else remember a version of this rhyme like this one?

      Delete
    2. Yep, I know this is old but it was "but I got shot in the dangly bits", haha!

      Delete
    3. I'm just reading Anonymous January 14, 2017's comment.

      I'm sorry that I'm so late responding.

      Thanks for sharing that rhyming line for the word "chips"!

      Delete
  7. My niece was telling me this recently. It's simular to what I heard growing up but it's half of what the full version is, considering it was made into a full song that we used to sing on the bus.

    I believe I can fly but I got shot by the FBI all I wanted was a chicken wing from Burger King but I got kicked out of Burger King because they don't have any chicken wings.

    The rest I don't remember.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Anonymous.

      Thanks for sharing your memories about this rhyme/chant.

      It's interesting how some songs become rhymes or chants and others don't.

      Delete
  8. My version from my school was:
    "I believe I can fly,
    I got shot by the FBI,
    All I wanted was some chicken wings,
    Mashed potatoes and collard greens.
    I believe I can soar,
    See me running through that grocery store..."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Cait.

      Thanks for sharing your example of "I Believe I Can Fly". I hadn't come across that version before. I'm curious when (what year) and where (city and state or at least which state) it's from.

      Delete
  9. Our principal circa 1993 loved i beleive i can fly and played it at all our assemblies. But, We kids used to sing

    I believe I'm a fly
    Don't squash me or I'll die...


    I can't recall the rest

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm just re-reading this discussion about "I believe I can fly" parodies.

      Thanks Anonymous October 16, 2016 for your comment. You wrote that you remember your principal around 1993 playing the song "I Believe I Can Fly" at your assemblies. R. Kelly's song was considered to be motivational, but kids had fun with the parodies of that song.

      For the record (no pun intended), the earliest date that "I Believe I Can Fly" could have been used for school assemblies was 1996. That's still "circa 1993").

      Here's some information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Believe_I_Can_Fly
      ""I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song written, produced and performed by American singer R. Kelly from the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 album R.

      In early 1997, "I Believe I Can Fly" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100; it was kept from the number one spot by Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart". Although Kelly has had two number one songs, "I Believe I Can Fly" is his most successful single. It also topped the charts in eight countries (including the United Kingdom), has won three Grammy Awards, and was ranked number 406 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. The music video was directed by Kelly with Hype Williams.[1]"...

      Delete
  10. Anonymous, thanks for sharing your memory of "I Believe I Can Fly".

    For the folkloric record, what city and state was this in?

    ReplyDelete
  11. my version is like this:i belive i can fly got shocked by the F.B.I all i wanted was a burger from burger king and a wing from wing stop (the song ends there) when i sung it for the first time to my friends it got stuck in everyones head

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Anonymous 1/27/2017 for sharing your memory of this song.

      It's interesting how the words change from one community or school to another.

      Delete
  12. Chorus:
    I believe I can fly,

    Verse:
    I got shot by the FBI...
    All I wanted was a bag of chips,
    Instead I got blown to bits...

    Sing chorus. Sing verse. Sing chorus x2, while gradually fading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous, thanks for sharing that version of the "I Believe I Can Fly" parody rhyme.

      I hadn't heard or read that one before.

      Delete
  13. The only one I have ever heard was "I believe I can fly I believe I can touch the sky all I wanted was a Popsicle but I ended up in the hospital I believe I can fly"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous, April 16, 2017, thanks for sharing that parody version of "I Believe I Can Fly".

      That's another one I hadn't "heard" before.

      Delete
  14. this is my version: i belive i can fly i got shot by the fbi all i wanted was some some burger king but instead she gave me chicken wings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown May 8, 2017, thanks for sharing that version!

      Delete
  15. Children today still sing this song... I cannot believe this. I remember this as a kindergartner in 1998, and as a substitute teacher today, the kids were singing this in a 3rd grade classroom.
    I had wondered how we all knew this song as kids, universally across the nation, but today was the first time I looked it up, after 20 years knowing it....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your memories and present day experience with the song "I Believe I Can Fly". I assume that you meant that you remember the parody of that song and the 3rd grade students were singing a parody of that R Kelly song and not the R&B/Pop song itself.

      It's interesting how some songs that children latch on to -or compose themselves- have a very short shelf life while others live on for decades- and sometimes even centuries.

      Delete
  16. The one I'm used to is:
    I believe I can fly!
    I got caught by the FBI!
    All I wanted was a chicken wing!
    Then they hit me in the ding-a-ling
    I believed I could soar!
    Then my face hit the flo-o-oar!
    I believed I could fly!
    I also happen to be able to die!
    I can't fly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sophia Millan, for adding to this collection of "I Believe I Can Fly" examples!

      Delete
  17. Surprised to realize that the version I learned is actually rather unusual. The melody is corrupted to have two extra lines, which I always assumed was normal for the parody. Worth sharing, anyway.

    I believe I can fly
    I got shot by the FBI
    I got shot in the eye
    I fell down from the sky
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    From A&W or Burger King

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous, thanks for sharing that example of "I Believe I Can Fly".

      The two lines in the middle of your example (I got shot in the eye/I fell down from the sky) may not be unusual, but I haven't heard them (in person) and I haven't come across them that often online.

      Delete
  18. Wow it is so amazing to read all the variations! This has been stuck in my head all day. I am from the youngstown. Ohio area and I remember singing this in elementary school from 2001 to 2004

    “I believe I can fly
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    But instead I got collard greens”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Sara Burns.

      Thanks for sharing the version of "I Believe I Can Fly". Thanks also for including demographics (when and where you sang this song.

      Best wishes for the New Year!

      Delete
  19. Hello! Version we sung ~98-2000 in my elementary school:

    "I believe I can fly.
    I got shot by the FBI.
    All I wanted was a chicken wing.
    Some 99 cent burger kingg"

    This is fascinating how far this little jingle spread and how it is STILL being sung. But only by elementary school kids lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jess for sharing the version of "I Believe I Can Fly".

      I believe that "I Believe I Can Fly" was picked up by children because it has a catchy tune and easy to remember words that can lend themselves to violence and anti-social themes. This allows children to "toy" with violence and be anti-social without any real life consequences.

      Delete
  20. I grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago in the 90s. I remember learning this parody, probably from my older siblings because I was not yet in school. I'm white, but we lived in a fairly diverse suburb. this would have been prior to the summer of 1997 which is when we moved to a much whiter suburb. all I recall is the opening stanza:

    "I believe I can fly, I got shot by the fbi, all I wanted was a chicken wing, from McDonald's or Burger King"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greetings, kyle allison.

      Thanks for sharing your memories of the parody "I Believe I Can Fly". Also, for folkloric purposes, thanks for including demographics (date, geographical location, and race).

      Delete
  21. I believe I can fly
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was a chicken wing,
    Some watermelon and some collard greens...

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous, thanks for sharing that version of the parody "I believe I can fly".

    ReplyDelete
  23. I recall the version we had(DFW-area Texas, early 00's) was

    I believe I can die
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was some chicken wings,
    Mashed taters and onion rings
    I believe I can soar
    Right through that closed door
    I believe I can die

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello, Anonymous March 9, 2019.

    Thanks for sharing that version of "I Believe I Can Fly" parody.

    I've never heard that version before.

    Best wishes and thanks for adding demographic information indicating that you remember this version from the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area in the early 2000s.

    Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Heres one. I believe i can fly I got shot by the FBI all I wanted was a chicken wing from the old burnt down burger king I believe i can soar i got whipped at the grocery store I believe I can glide i fell off a giant water slide i fell off of it very fast and then i died on impact i believe i can fly i really like to make pie but every time i make a pie they would just always die. Oof sorry I know it sucks lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown, thanks for sharing your version of the "I Believe I Can Fly" parody.

      I wonder how old this version is and if people are still making up versions of this parody.

      Delete
  26. I made one my self

    I believe I can fly, I got caught by the fbi all I wanted was a chicken wing 5 potato's and chedder cheese

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown, April 27, 2019, thanks for sharing your example of "I Believe I Can Fly".

      Best wishes!

      Delete
  27. "Edit"

    I belive I can fly
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    from the down town burger king
    I belive I can fly
    I almost can touch the sky
    I hit my mom with a frying pan
    She got me back with the minivan
    I belive I can fly
    I go shot by the FBI
    I went to the Superbowl
    I got kicked in the A**H**l
    I belive I can fly
    I still believe I can fly
    I got caught by the Soda Guy
    All I wanted was a Mountain Dew
    He shot me with his 42
    I belive I can fly
    I got shot by the F.B.I
    All I wanted was some chicken wings
    and a little bit of collad greens
    I ran though a open door
    I got killed by Norse God Thor
    I don't think I can fly
    I already got shot by the FBI
    I didn't get dem chicken wings
    That sucks
    I'm dead

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. fodjg;ajtoiwejto,

      Thanks for sharing that version of "I Believe I Can Fly". I deleted what the version you initially sent and kept your edited version.

      My apologies for just responding to you. For some reason, I only became aware that you shared this when someone added another example to this discussion thread.

      Most of your version of "I Believe I Can Fly" is new to me. I love it!
      For the folkloric record, please add where (what city/state or nation if outside of the USA); when (what decade) and who (boys, girls, race/ethnicity, and general ages) sung this version.

      Thanks again!

      Delete
  28. Ive never done any of those. Most lines are the same. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, Pa ours was;
    I believe I can fly
    I think I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was that chicken wing
    So I could do that flying thing
    I believe I can soar
    They see me crawling through that open door
    Dragging my A$$ across the floor.
    I believed I could fly
    No thanks to the FBI
    I believed.. . I could fly.
    Kinda depressing actually xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello unknown.

      Thanks for sharing that version of "I Believe I Can Fly". I've never come across the crawling and dragging parts before.

      Thanks for adding the information that you said this version of "I Believe I Can Fly" in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For the folkloric record, please add when (what decade) and who (boys, girls, race/ethnicity, and general ages) sung this version.

      Thanks again!

      Delete
  29. Here's a children's rhyme from the 1950s that I just happened upon that includes the word "Caught by the FBI":
    http://awe.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=110403

    Subject: RE: Law Officers in Songs &Children's Rhymes
    From: Cool Beans
    Date: 19 Apr 08 - 09:49 AM

    My country tis of thee
    Sweet land of Gernmany
    My name is Fritz.
    My father was a spy
    Caught by the FBI
    Tomorrow he will die.
    My name is Fritz.

    (Learned in the 1950s when I was a little kid.)
    -snip-
    I don't think this rhyme was a source of the "I Believe I Can Fly" parodies, but it demonstrates that irreverent children's rhymes in the late 1990s are similar to irreverent children's rhymes in the 1950s.

    Also, the words "spy", "die", and "fly" are rather familiar English words that rhyme with "FBI" so it's not that surprising to find "FBI" in that 1950s example and the 1990s/2000s examples.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I remember the version we sang in my Baptist elementary school went something like
    "I believe I can die
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    all I got was some refried beans"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, and this was South Texas. Victoria.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Anonymous for sharing the version of "I Believe I Can Fly" rhyme.

      Thanks also for including demographics. I didn't know that there were elementary schools that are run by Baptists.

      I had to look up South Texas. Victoria. I think these are two cities in the state of Texas that are located near each other. Is that right?

      Thanks, again, Anonymous. Stay well during these difficult times.

      Delete
  31. I believe I can die
    I was shot by the F.B.I
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    But in my food I got a shinny ring
    It hurt my belly but I went to pee
    I believe I can soar
    they shot me at the entry of the Burger King door
    I believe I can die
    I believe can die
    I believe
    I believe
    I believe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Intro the UNKNOWN, thanks for sharing that variation of "I Believe I Can Die".

      This is the first time I've come across that version.

      Best wishes!!

      Delete
  32. I belive i can fly!
    i got shot by the pepsie
    guy all i wanted was a mounten dew
    and he shot me eith his.22

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Unknown for sharing that parody example of "I Believe I Can Fly".

      Delete
  33. When I was a kid, we sang:
    I believe I can fly
    I got caught by the fbi
    All I wanted was some chicken wings
    Hot tamales and some onion rings
    I believe I can soar
    You see me rollin on that dirty floor
    I believe I can cry
    I believe I can try
    I believe I will pry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing that version of "I Believe I Can Fly" parody rhyme.

      For the folkloric record, when were you a kid and remember singing this rhyme? Also, where (city/state or nation if outside of the USA) did you first sing it?

      Delete
  34. The version I used to sing as a kid was:

    I believe I can fly
    My mama shot me in my lip and eye
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    She got me eatin’ some collard greens
    I believe I can soar
    Kick yo butt through that open door
    Now the song is over
    Now we drinking some (co-put-cher??)

    Childhood was a weird time, man💀

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Anonymous. Thanks for sharing that version of "I Believe I Can Fly".

      I hadn't come across that one before.o)

      Best wishes!

      Delete
  35. I believe I can fly
    I got shot by the FBI
    All I wanted was a chicken wing
    Instead I got shot in my private thing (ding a ling?)

    '96-99
    Bridgeport/Stratford CT
    I am white, there was an African American majority in the community. Sung at elementary school. 3rd-6th grade.

    ReplyDelete